Patients less happy with foreign-educated nurses, says report

Patients experience lower levels of satisfaction when they are treated by nurses educated abroad, according to a new study.

Experts behind the research – the first evidence of its kind – said recruiting more nurses from overseas instead of from the UK may “negatively” affect the quality of care.

For every 10 per cent increase in the number of non-UK educated nurses, there was a 12 per cent decrease in the likelihood of patients across England rating their hospital good or excellent, the study found. There was also a 13 per cent drop in the odds of patients agreeing that they always had confidence and trust in nurses.

Patients in hospitals with more nurses trained abroad were also less likely to report being treated with respect and dignity. In the study, published in the journal BMJ Open, more than 12,000 patients from 46 hospitals who had at least one overnight stay completed a satisfaction survey, while almost 3,000 “bedside care” nurses completed a nurse survey.

The experts concluded: “Use of non-UK educated nurses in English NHS hospitals is associated with lower patient satisfaction. Importing nurses from abroad to substitute for domestically educated nurses may negatively impact quality of care.”

The Government announced in October that nurses will be added to the Government’s shortage occupation list. This means nurses from outside the European Economic Area who apply to work in the UK will have their applications for nursing posts prioritised. It is hoped recruiting from overseas will ease pressure on the NHS at a time when the Government has introduced a cap on the amount NHS trusts can spend on agency staff.

The Royal College of Nursing and Unison have said the announcement last week that bursaries will be scrapped and replaced with loans will put students off applying for nurse training in the UK.

PA