The UK’s healthcare system is facing a new challenge: up to 55,000 international nurses may soon leave the country, citing racism, stricter immigration rules, and unwelcoming attitudes. These findings, revealed in the Royal College of Nursing’s latest report, are alarming — especially for a system already under immense strain.

​

What’s Happening?

• Almost half of international nurses are planning to leave the UK.

• 42% cite hostile immigration policies and racism as key reasons.

• Countries like Canada, Australia, and the US are attracting UK-based nurses with better pay, easier visa pathways, and more welcoming environments.

• The NHS currently has 34,000 nursing vacancies, while social care faces over 130,000 unfilled roles.

As the government moves to tighten migration policies — including raising English language requirements and doubling settlement times — we are at serious risk of losing the very staff who keep our health and social care services running.

​

What This Means for Healthcare Providers

Healthcare providers should be preparing now. If the exodus of skilled international nurses continues, staffing shortages will intensify, directly affecting:

• Patient safety and care delivery

• Employee burnout and morale

• Service capacity across both NHS and private providers

In this climate, partnering with the right recruitment agency becomes more critical than ever.

​

How We Can Help

At Willing Recruitment, we understand the unique pressures of recruiting in this environment. Here's how we support our partners:

✅ Access to a Global Talent Pool – We actively source skilled nurses and carers from countries with strong healthcare systems and professionals ready to relocate.
✅ Navigating Complex Immigration Rules – Our compliance team stays up to date with changing visa requirements to make international hiring smooth and stress-free.
✅ Retention Support – We don’t just place candidates — we help them settle, stay, and succeed.
✅ Speed and Scale – As demand rises, we’re equipped to fill urgent vacancies quickly and cost-effectively.

​

A Call to Action: Invest in Your Staff – Show Value

Now more than ever, we must invest in our workforce. International nurses have kept the UK’s health system going for decades — and now they’re being pushed out. If we want to retain them, we need to show they are valued:

• Offer proper career development

• Improve working conditions

• Provide inclusive, anti-racist environments

• Advocate for fair immigration policies

Retention is just as important as recruitment. We cannot afford to lose the people we’ve already welcomed.

​

Promote Nursing Careers – Start at Home

In addition to international recruitment, we need to invest in the next generation of UK nurses. That means working with education providers, agencies, and government to promote nursing as a viable, respected career path. We must:

• Fund nursing degrees and apprenticeships

• Showcase real nursing stories to inspire school leavers

• Create national campaigns that celebrate the profession

• Provide job security, flexible options, and career growth

Let’s build a pipeline of future talent — and treat nursing as the calling it truly is.

​

Pick a Side – Act Now to Save Our Healthcare System

This is not just a staffing issue — it’s a defining moment for UK healthcare. We either invest in our current and future workforce or watch the system unravel.

You can't be neutral on this. You’re either for saving the NHS and social care — or you’re not.

We choose to act.

​

The Bottom Line

The UK’s healthcare system cannot function without international staff — and the current immigration climate may turn off the very people we need most.

This isn’t just a policy issue — it’s a workforce crisis. Healthcare providers need reliable, forward-thinking recruitment partners to weather the storm and rebuild.

Willing Recruitment is here to help you plan ahead, retain key staff, and stay fully staffed with the best international and local talent.

Let’s protect our healthcare system by investing in the people who hold it together.
Start today.