MORE than 80 Asian nurses are currently employed in Guernsey. The Health and Social Services Department is employing 15 from India and 67 from the Philippines.

The department is to rethink recruitment policy and has confirmed that it has no short-term plans for new Asian staff.

A policy review will be completed before any further third-country recruitment.

Concerns were raised at a national nursing conference that the UK could be depriving countries of some of their best staff by recruiting them.

‘It is our policy to continue to recruit the highest-quality nursing staff. We always follow UK guidelines for recruitment to enable staff we employ to be on the UK professional register,’ said a department spokesman.

‘Nurses recruited from overseas are welcomed into our services and provide a valuable contribution. We would suggest that we are a good employer and nurses whatever their background are treated fairly and consistently.’

The salary of any nurse recruited from overseas is the same as a local one on the same grade. Their terms and conditions of service are the same as all the local nurses, the department said.

‘We understand the UK professional body – the Nursing Medical Council – will change the rules for registration via a more controlled adaptation programme. Currently they are consulting on the way forward,’ said the spokesman.

These changes will have implications locally but until it is known what the process will be and from when it will take effect, it is impossible to ascertain the extent.

Currently there is an international shortage of nurses, with the USA saying it will be 1.1 million short within the next decade.

Guernsey continually lives with a shortfall of qualified nurses and midwives and the Health and Social Services Department has tried to address this in many ways.

Initiatives include:

* increasing the funding of students from 20 placements each year to 40 over the last five years.

* attending job fairs in England, Scotland, and the Republic of Ireland.

* improving quality of advertising and supporting materials – prospective staff are sent information packs about the department’s health services.

* attending local career conventions.

* recruiting from overseas.

* running free back-to-nursing courses.

* supporting the development of nurse consultants and nurse specialists.

* obtaining approval for a post-registration degree in health care studies.

Other States bodies have also tried to help overcome the shortages – the Civil Service Board agreed to a retention payment for nurses, midwives and health visitors and Housing was more supportive in issuing short-term licences.