Exodus of EU nurses ‘most likely’ cause of extra patient deaths
University of Surrey study suggests that EU nurses leaving the UK due to uncertainty triggered by the Brexit leave vote could have contributed to almost 1,500 additional patient deaths per year. The study looks at 131 acute NHS hospitals between June 2016 and May 2019, during which time there was a ‘staggering drop’ in the number of EU nurses joining the NHS. Researchers suggest EU nurses were replaced by less experienced or skilled staff, which changed the skill mix at these hospitals and resulted in adverse outcomes for patients.
Study suggests when Brexit prompted many EU nurses to leave UK, this changed the nursing skill mix and may have contributed to almost 1,500 extra patient deaths per year
Changes to the UK nursing skill mix brought on by nurses from the European Union (EU) leaving due to uncertainty triggered by Brexit could have contributed to almost 1,500 additional patient deaths per year, a study suggests.
The study from the University of Surrey, which looked at workforce composition and patient health outcomes at 131 acute NHS hospitals, found there was an increase in EU nurses leaving the NHS and UK, and a ‘staggering drop’ in the number of EU nurses joining the NHS, between June 2016 and May 2019, due to the impact of the Brexit leave vote.
Altered skill mix ‘likely’ linked to adverse patient outcomes
It also found a sharp rise in the number of non-EU overseas-trained nurses joining the NHS during the same time, with EU nurses replaced by less experienced or skilled staff, changing the skill mix at these hospitals. This in turn led to adverse outcomes for patients, authors of the study said.
The researchers estimate around 1,485 more people died per year in NHS hospitals during this time, with the change in the make-up of the workforce given as the ‘most likely’ reason for the increase in mortality rates.
Researcher says more healthcare professionals need to be trained in UK
Lead investigator of the study and professor of economics at the University of Surrey Giuseppe Moscelli said the study highlighted the ‘critical’ role that skilled migrant nurses play in the healthcare system, especially in emergency care ‘where the stakes are highest’.
He also warned of the NHS’s ‘considerable reliance’ on overseas nurses, and the need to train more healthcare professionals in the UK ‘to prevent similar quality of hospital service deteriorations in the future’.
Mr Moscelli added: ‘Brexit has had real life-or-death consequences for patients in our hospitals. The evidence we’ve gathered shows that the loss of more experienced or skilled nurses has led to a measurable decline in care quality.’
NMC data also shows nurse exodus following Brexit
This is not the first study to look at the effect of the leave vote on the NHS workforce. Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) data from 2019 showed the UK lost almost 5,000 EU nurses and midwives between 2017 and 2019.
The number of EU nurses joining the register also dropped by 87%, from 6,382 in 2016-17 to 805 in 2017-18.
The NMC surveyed nurses who left its register over a six-month period in 2018 to understand their reasons for leaving. Of the 180 EU nurses who responded, 51% said Brexit had encouraged them to seek work outside of the UK.
Meanwhile, a 2022 report by the Nuffield Trust suggested a combination of Brexit and poor wages had made the UK an unattractive place to work for EU nurses.
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