EU nurses' applications to work in UK down 96% since Brexit vote

The number of nurses from the European Union registering to work in the UK has fallen by 96% since the Brexit vote last year.

Figures collated by the Nursing & Midwifery Council show that the number of new applicants from the EU fell from 1,304 in July last year to just 46 in April this year.

The dramatic fall in applicants to work in the UK is likely to place more pressure on the NHS as it grapples with a recruitment crisis, and increase political pressure to secure a guarantee for NHS staff from Brexit negotiations.

There are an estimated 57,000 EU nationals working for the NHS, around 20,000 of whom are nurses.

International staff have helped fill NHS vacancies for several years as the UK has struggled to recruit, train and retain enough homegrown staff, with EU nationals providing the majority.

The Health Foundation, which obtained the figures following a Freedom of Information request, said the fall in EU applicants could impact patient care, with an overall shortage of around 30,000 nurses.

Anita Charlesworth, director of research and economics at the Health Foundation, said: "The recruitment and retention of nurses is one of the biggest challenges facing health and social care, with a shortage of 30,000 nurses in England alone.

"The drop in EU nurses registering to work in the UK could not be more stark - just 46 registered to work in the UK in April.

"Without EU nurses it will be even harder for the NHS and other employers to find the staff they need to provide safe patient care. The findings should be a wake-up call to politicians and health service leaders.

"But the overall shortage of 30,000 nurses is not a shortage caused by the Brexit vote. The chronic shortage of nurses is the result of years of short-term planning and cuts to training places.

"A sustainable, long-term approach to workforce planning is desperately needed."

Labour shadow health spokesman Jonathan Ashworth said the NHS should be a priority in Brexit negotiations, which begin next week.

"Theresa May's weak and unstable government has pushed NHS services to the brink and it is patients who will pay the price," he said.

"Our health service has always relied on the contribution of overseas workers yet these staff are being forced out by this Government's neglect and disregard," he said.

"The Tories are overseeing an unforgivable drain of talent out of our country because of their chaotic attitude to the Brexit negotiations. The truth is that Theresa May has tried to use NHS staff as bargaining chips in her negotiations with Brussels.

"The NHS should be a priority in the Brexit negotiations and the Government should immediately guarantee the rights of EU staff who are working here in our health and care service."

The Department of Health is preparing a response to the Health Foundation statement.