Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, how many overseas nurses were working in (a) the NHS and (b) each NHS England Hospital Trust in each year since 2015; and whether he has made an estimate of the cost of (a) recruitment and (b) visas for overseas nurses in year since 2015.

Tables showing the number of headcount and full-time equivalent nurses and health visitors with a non-United Kingdom nationality in National Health Service hospital trusts and core organisations in August of each year since 2015 is attached.

No specific assessment of the cost of recruitment for overseas nurses or visas has been made. However, in October 2021, NHS England commissioned a review by the Nuffield Trust, which estimated the cost of recruiting a nurse from overseas at approximately £10,000 to £12,000. Since August 2020, nurses have paid reduced visa fees through the Health and Care Visa.