The government?s Migration Advisory Committee (MAC) has reluctantly recommended that nurses remain on the `shortage occupation list?, while criticising the health sector for failing to maintain a sufficient supply of UK nurses. Sir David Metcalf, MAC chair and an active CEP researcher for three decades, summarises the recent report in the new CentrePiece. He notes that the supply of nurses is influenced by workforce planning, training places and retention efforts. The UK?s shortage of nurses is mostly down to factors that should have been anticipated by the Department of Health. What?s more, the restraint on nurses? pay is presented as an immutable fact; but it?s a choice. And nurses could crowd out skilled migrants from occupations not in shortage.

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9 June 2016     Paper Number CEPCP476

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This CentrePiece article is published under the centre's Labour programme.