Recover to rebuild: Investing in the nursing workforce for health system effectiveness (International Council of Nurses, March 2023)

Summary

A shortage of nurses across the world, including in countries that provide nurses for international recruitment, has created a global health emergency, according to the latest report from the International Council of Nurses.

The report, Recover to Rebuild: Investing in the Nursing Workforce for Health System Effectiveness, lays out the devastating impact that the Covid-19 pandemic has had on nurses around the world.

It urges that investment in a well-supported global nursing workforce is needed if health systems around the world are to recover and be rebuilt effectively.

It also warned against reliance on the “quick fix” of international recruitment instead of investing in nursing education, as this was contributing to staff shortages even in countries with a long tradition of educating nurses to work in higher income countries.

The report, co-authored by the organisation's chief executive, Howard Catton, and nursing workforce policy expert Professor James Buchan, includes the findings of workforce surveys from more than 25 countries, including the UK, as well as other research.