The number of nurses and midwives coming to work in Britain from Europe has plunged by 89% since Brexit, figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council’s (NMC) have revealed.

The figures also show a 67% rise in the number of EU nurses leaving the NMC’s register: from 2,435 in 2015-16 to 4,067 in the last year.

Jeremy Hunt recently said he was “confident” EU staff in the NHS would be able to stay, but could not give a firm guarantee.

Liberal Democrat Health Spokesperson Judith Jolly commented:

“This is yet more evidence of a deeply worrying Brexodus of EU nurses from the NHS.

“Our health service is already overstretched and understaffed, it cannot afford to lose this many nurses especially as we approach another winter crisis.

“It is not good enough for the government to say it is confident NHS staff from the EU will be able to stay.

“Ministers must give a cast-iron guarantee that the European nurses and doctors who keep our health service afloat can stay here no matter what.”

Notes

See figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council here