Union welcomes 200 Indian nurses but warns of shortages

The Welsh government has reached an agreement with Kerala, India, to recruit 200 nurses and doctors. Welsh Health Minister Eluned Morgan stated that the agreement will help reduce vacancies and reliance on agency staff. However, unions estimate that Wales is currently short 2,000 nurses, highlighting the scale of the challenge.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) welcomed the agreement but also emphasized the need for the Welsh government to place greater "value on the nursing profession." The RCN also warned that the proposed closure of Cardiff University's School of Nursing could have adverse effects. "Of course, we welcome an additional 200 professionals into NHS Wales because we have 2,000 nurse vacancies. It helps to some degree," said Nicki Hughes of the RCN, acknowledging the positive but limited impact.

Ms. Hughes also expressed the RCN's concern about the closure of Cardiff University's School of Nursing. "It will have a massive impact, not only on the supply of nurses in Cardiff and the Wales Valleys region but on the wider profession," she said. Mr. Miles, who met with officials in Kerala on Thursday, stated that the new agreement would reduce the cost of using agency staff. "I think the total cost has halved in the last two or three years," he said, emphasizing the cost-effectiveness of the direct recruitment approach.

Mr. Miles added, "Being able to recruit directly with the government of Kerala, rather than through expensive third-party agencies, also helps ensure that we are spending our money wisely on the workforce." Former Health Minister Eluned Morgan had also signed a similar agreement with the Kerala government. Mr. Miles stated, "In Wales, we have a proud and long-standing tradition of ethically recruiting internationally to the NHS from all over the world," reinforcing the commitment to ethical recruitment practices.

The RCN is concerned that recruitment efforts are facing difficulties due to the financial pressures facing the NHS. Ms. Hughes said, "The financial crisis is impacting the ability to recruit into posts, impacting the ability for staff to undertake necessary continuing professional development, and the ability to retain staff within NHS." She called for more action to fill nurse vacancies and improve patient care. Ms. Hughes added, "We know that pay terms and conditions have done real damage to the nursing profession in Wales, and we also know that the environments that people are working in at the moment are also damaging to their health and wellbeing."

Ms. Hughes further noted, "The Royal College of Nursing has been publicly critical about corridor care and care being delivered in inappropriate areas. When you're constantly going into areas where patients are being accommodated in areas where they shouldn't be receiving care, and you haven't got more staff to look after them, you go home feeling that you haven't done your best. That's why nurses are leaving," highlighting the impact of inadequate resources and challenging working conditions on nurse retention.