- Conference
- 2004 Health Care Service Group Conference
- Date
- 5 January 2004
- Decision
- Carried
Conference is increasingly concerned at the exploitation of migrant Health workers, which is taking place in Health Services in the UK. We recognise that the NHS has taken significant steps to address the exploitation and we welcomed the guidance, which was issued in 2003. However, during 2003 an estimated 40,000 overseas nurses applied for nursing registration, many of these working in the private health care sector. Nurses are one of a number of groups being recruited into the Health Service by overseas agencies.
Conference applauds the work undertaken in Scotland and Northern Ireland in pursuance of the motion passed at last years Health Group conference calling on all regions to set up overseas nurses networks but is disappointed that similar work has not taken place in other regions.
Conference calls on the Service Group Executive to:
1.Encourage regions to implement the 2003 motion calling on regions to set-up overseas nurse’s networks;
2.Discuss with the NMC the problems that Nurses have in getting registered and having qualifications recognised;
3.Discuss with the Department of Health methods to ensure that overseas nurses are placed on appropriate grades;
4.Encourage branches to recruit overseas workers and ensure that they are afforded proper employment rights;
5.The nursing sector should continue to treat this area as a high priority and consider work around assisting overseas nurses and other black and minority nurses in progressing their career up to and including consultant nurse level.