In the last month, the UK has seen the biggest rise in unemployment for nearly 30 years.

Will this affect nurses that want to go to the UK to work?

A factor, protecting overseas nurses from potential recession-related drop-off is the almost insatiable demand for nurses in a national and global arena.

With the recent change in government and the recent drive to cut public spending this could mean further pressure on acute hospital budgets. If trusts find their budgets squeezed then the traditional way of saving money would be to implement a recruitment freeze. This would benefit overseas nurses, particularly those who work for agencies, who will be needed to fill in the gaps that will inevitably appear if full-time recruitment tails off.

The only reason there may be a possible reluctance to recruit overseas Nurses is the cost and possible time implications for both the Nurse and the organisation. Geneva Health International, a recruitment agency for Nurses and Care Workers in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East has made low cost, hassle free arrangement to ensure ease of transition for overseas candidates.

Taneal Dalton, Manager of the UK Temp Services Division, says that Geneva Health have optimised their service to provide not only the best possible work opportunities but also a ‘low cost, individualised service’ to assist with the Nurses move to the UK. ‘Part of what makes the UK so appealing for overseas Nurses is the flexibility of work and the ability to travel. We provide opportunities for Overseas Nurses to improve their skills in the UK and to process their careers worldwide.’

Therefore, it would appear that there is still high demand for nurses in the public and private sectors in the UK and that the UK is still offering incentives to overseas nurses to come to the UK.