Primary care nurses invited to share views for international workforce project

The views of primary and community care nurses are being sought by the Florence Nightingale Foundation (FNF) Think Tank as part of a new project examining how the UK can retain, support and learn from internationally educated nurses and midwives (IENMs).

The initiative, called Global Talent, Local Impact, aims to develop evidence-based recommendations for long-term, system-wide change.

A national survey is open to IENMs, those in leadership roles supporting them, and members of diaspora communities.

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Responses are invited from across all four UK nations, from all sectors – including the NHS, social care, private providers, education, charities, and the military – and from professionals at all career stages.

Ariel Landa, a member of the initiative’s steering committee and chair of the Alliance of International Nurses and Midwives Diasporas in the UK, said the aim of the project was to ensure ‘the voices, expertise, and lived experiences of internationally educated professionals are truly heard and valued’.

The survey findings will inform recommendations on inclusive workplace cultures, international knowledge exchange, and how IENMs can be supported to contribute to and lead within the UK health and care system.

A final report is due in spring 2026.

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Participants can access the survey here, and choose to enter a prize draw for a £150 voucher or a place at the Florence Nightingale Commemoration Service at Westminster Abbey in May 2026.

The survey comes as the Nursing and Midwifery Council revealed earlier this month that there has been an almost 50% collapse in the number of international professionals joining the register compared to the same six-month period last year.

The mid-year update from the NMC showed a particular decline in nurses joining from the Philippines (-68.1%) and from India (-57.8%).

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The changing landscape means the Philippines has fallen out of the top three largest sources of international recruitment. After India, the second and third largest sources of international recruitment are now ‘red list’ countries Nigeria and Ghana. Being on the World Health Organization’s red list means they cannot be actively targeted for nurse recruitment.

In the same report, it was revealed that the number of registered learning disability nurses on the register has fallen in the past six months, while other branches of nursing had grown slightly.