§ Baroness Uddinasked Her Majesty's Government:
What initiatives are in place to recruit nurses from the ethnic and religious communities in the United Kingdom. [HL3200]
24WA
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThe new equalities framework for the National Health ServiceThe Vital Connection reinforces the Human Resource Framework Working Together which sets out that NHS employers must demonstrate progress towards a workforce that year on year becomes more representative of the community it serves at all levels of the organisation. National examples include the Positively Diverse scheme and the Mary Seacole Bursary awards. Local examples include the Healthcare Apprenticeship Scheme at Bradford Community Trust and the Pathways to Access Project in Tower Hamlets.
The number of applicants to nurse training from Black and Asian backgrounds doubled between 1997–98 and 1998–99 (from 1,300 to 2,716). In 1998–99 about 8 per cent of domestic applicants to nursing providing ethnicity data described themselves as Black or Asian.
§ Baroness Uddinasked Her Majesty's Government:
Whether they are recruiting nurses from the Indian sub-continent and the Middle East; and, if so, what are the numbers in the National Health Service in comparison to the numbers recruited from China, Thailand and African countries. [HL3201]
§ Lord Hunt of Kings HeathThis information is not held centrally. Information on applications from nurses outside the United Kingdom for registration to the United Kingdom Central Council for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting (UKCC) can be found in the UKCC annual statistical analysis of the UKCC professional register. Information on the number of work permits issued to employers is available from the Overseas Labour Service.
The National Health Service Executive issued guidance on international recruitment to the service in November last year. The guidance gives NHS employers clear and authoritative policy on how they should pursue international recruitment and states that NHS employers should consider international recruitment only when its professional and service value can be clearly demonstrated and when it will have no adverse effects upon the recruit's home healthcare system. Copies are available in the Library.