RCN: New immigration laws will cause chaos for NHS

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has heavily criticised new immigration laws, saying they will cause a major exodus of skills at a time when the NHS is struggling with staffing levels.

Under the new rules, people from outside the European Economic Area must be earning 35,000 pounds or more per year before they are allowed to stay in the UK after six years, with the change to come into effect in 2017.

According to the RCN, up to 3,365 nurses currently working in the UK that cost the NHS 20.19 million pounds to recruit will be affected by this and may be driven out of the country, meaning the money spent on hiring them will be essentially wasted.

If international recruitment stays the same as it is now, by 2020 the number of nurses affected by the threshold will be 6,620; however, if workforce pressures force a higher rate of international recruitment, this could rise to 29,755.

The RCN has therefore urged the government to add nursing to the list of shortage occupations and to reconsider the 35,000 pound salary threshold, while taking urgent steps to increase the number of UK nurse training places.

Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, said: "NHS trusts are being asked to provide safe staffing with both hands tied behind their backs. Without a change to these immigration rules the NHS will continue to pay millions of pounds to temporarily rent nurses from overseas."