HOSPITALS in Cumbria have managed to retain nurses and doctors from Europe despite last year's controversial Brexit vote.

New data published today reveals both trusts operating in the county; the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Foundation Trust and North Cumbria University Hospitals Trust, have bucked the national trend in managing to keep overall levels of EU employees over the last 12 months.

Elsewhere in the country, the data, shared with CN Group by the BBC, shows EU nationals have made up a larger share of staff leaving the NHS than before the UK voted to leave the EU at the polls on June 23, 2016.

UHMBT, which runs Barrow's Furness General Hospital, as well as Westmorland General in Kendal and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary, saw 21 staff members from the EU leave their posts during the 2014/15 year and 31 during 2015/16.

Just 13 - or 4.6 per cent of the overall workforce - left during the first six months of 2016/17.

However, a smaller proportion joined the trust last year compared to the two previous years, indicating the arrival rate of European recruits may be slowing down.

David Wilkinson, director of workforce and organisational development, said staff recruitment and retention was a priority for the trust.

“It is great to see we have retained staff from the European Union," he added.

"The trust retention strategy sets out how one of our key approaches is to ensure that from joining the trust our staff receive a warm welcome and are supported throughout their first few months to settle into their role."

There was a similar picture in the north of the county where NCUHT saw 10 staff leave in 2014/15 and 13 the following year.

The first six months of 2016/17 saw four leave, accounting for 1.7 per cent of the overall workforce.


But again, the rate of people from the EU choosing to relocate to Cumbria to take up a job within one of NCUHT's hospitals; The Cumberland Infirmary or the West Cumberland Hospital, has declined.

A spokesman for the trust said: "We continue through the development of our recruitment and retention policies and practices to seek to recruit staff both nationally and internationally across NHUCT and the Cumbria Partnership NHS Foundation Trust.

"We work hard to support international staff to integrate into the community and work closely with our medical and non-medical trade unions to identify any concerns or issues from our international staff.

"We are committed to retaining our international staff and will continue to review the situation.”

Recruitment to clinical posts across Cumbria has been difficult for some years.

And a national shortage of nurses has meant trusts in the county have been forced to travel internationally to find qualified staff and fill vacant positions.

But a Department of Health spokesman said: "There are 3,193 more EU nationals working in the NHS than at the time of the referendum - we have been absolutely clear that these staff play a vital role in the NHS and want to see their excellent work continue long after the UK leaves the EU.

"However, we recognise the NHS also needs more homegrown staff so we'll be training an extra 1,500 doctors and 10,000 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals a year by 2020 to ensure the NHS has the workforce it needs now and in the future."

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How many European staff work in the NHS?

- Around 135,000 staff from Europe work within the NHS and adult social care in the UK.

- This accounts for five per cent of the NHS workforce and six per cent in the social care sector.

- The British Medical Association conducted a survey of EU doctors earlier this year which found that 42 per cent were considering leaving because of Brexit.

- In July, the Nursing and Midwifery Council released data showing numbers on its overall register were in decline.