According to a report by NHS, nursing is the most employable degree in the UK, with 94 percent of graduate nurses gaining employment within six months of graduation. On the heels of this, the number of qualified nurses continues to increase by the day, leading to massive competition for available jobs. With the help of a recruitment agency, you stand a better chance of landing your choice nursing job. This article would examine the nursing profession in the UK. And the role recruitment agencies play and also reveals the top 10 UK recruitment agencies for nurses.
More so, with the rise of more qualified nurses and the frequent influx of qualified nurses into the UK, getting employed as a nurse is no longer as easy as it used to be. If you’re looking to relocate from your present country of residence to the UK to work as a nurse, then looking for available opportunities yourself might not be very productive, this is where the role of recruitment agencies comes to play.
At the moment, recruitment agencies form the bedrock of employment all over the world. Through their activities, qualified and trained nurses have gotten meaningful employment in the UK and other parts of the world.
Nursing Profession in the UK
The nursing profession in the United Kingdom has come of age. Thanks to Florence Nightingale who broke new grounds in modern nursing. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, she introduced formal schools of nursing in the United Kingdom.
Over 500,000 nurses work in the United Kingdom in different settings such as hospitals, health centers, nursing homes. And the likes. Most of these nurses work for National Health Service (NHS).
Before now, nurses were seen as mere assistants to doctors, but that has changed in recent times. Nurses are now perceived as professionals in their own right. In the United Kingdom, nurses often serve in multidisciplinary teams but can now be found working independently. And taking up vital managerial roles in the health industry.
All nurses and nursing associates in the United Kingdom must be registered with the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC). Only those who hold such registration are allowed the title “registered nurse”; as laid down in the Nurses, Midwives and Health Visitors Act 1997.
If you’re wondering whether or not there are opportunities for foreign-trained nurses in the United Kingdom, the answer is yes. There’re numerous opportunities and provisions for foreign-trained nurses who wish to work in the United Kingdom. However, to make this possible, the Nurses and Midwifery Council has a detailed process for inducting nurses who trained outside the United Kingdom/European Union.
Overseas Nursing Program
Before October 2016, a foreign-trained nurse was required to undergo an Overseas Nursing Program. ONP for short, before becoming a United Kingdom Registered Nurse. The ONP is undertaken by the candidate after NMC completes necessary checks and issue the candidate a decision letter stating that the person may join a university to undertake the ONP.
However, due to the shortage of nurses and the NMC’s pursuit of gold standards in nursing they have now updated their new process to a two-part test of competence. The first part is a Computer-Based Test (CBT) consisting of 120 multiple choice questions for 4 hours. And Part 2 is the Objective Structured Clinical Examination (OSCE).
Why Use Recruitment Agencies?
People can get well through self-medication, but that is often an uncertain and long route to medical fitness. The same applies to looking for a job on your own, especially in a foreign country. A recruitment agency specializes in helping organizations/corporations get suitable candidates for vacant positions/offices. They’re the bridge between employers and employees. Hence, your chances of landing your choice job are increased when you engage a trusted agency.
A trusted recruitment agency has experience in the employment space and country you’re looking to get a job in, this experience would come in handy for you. Usually, there’re grey areas you may not already be aware of, but a recruitment agency can help you identify and clarify them.
Their expert opinion can help you brush up on your curriculum vitae/résumé and cover letter. You’ll most likely get very tips on how best and how not to arrange and present the details highlighted in your curriculum vitae/résumé and cover letter.
A good recruitment agency has your interest at heart and would typically present you with vacant positions that suit you.
A helpful tip in this regard is to establish a cordial relationship with any recruitment agency you choose to contact. This way, they won’t find it difficult to help you in your search for employment.
Top 10 UK Recruitment Agencies for Nurses
If you’re in search of employment opportunities in the UK nursing profession and need help doing so, the following are the top 10 UK recruitment agencies for nurses.
1. Ambition 24 Hours
This is one of the United Kingdom’s leading nursing agencies with over 20 years worth of experience. Along with a booking team that is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, they offer a variety of staffing and recruitment opportunities for agency nurses and care assistants.
For more information about them, check Ambition 24 Hours.
2. The Flame Lily
The Flame Lily is one of the United Kingdom’s leading framework-approved healthcare, nursing, and medical recruitment agency. Quality is at the heart of everything they do – their recent NHS audit score of above 97% compliance underlies the same sentiment. They’re an approved NHS supplier for more than nineteen years.
Check The Flame Lily for more information.
3. Nursing Personnel
This agency is part of Medical Professional Personnel Ltd. They’re an NHS Framework approved highest paying nursing agency under the Health Trust Europe NHS framework agreement. They’re approved to supply NHS Hospitals in all regions across the UK in all specialties.
Nursing personnel is a highly experienced nursing agency that regularly recruits staff for the NHS. Check Nursing Personnel for more information.
4. Kate Cowhig International Healthcare Recruitment
KCR empowers their candidate nurses to find the perfect fit for their future career in Irish or United Kingdom healthcare. Their dedicated recruiters aim to help their candidates every step of the way, from their initial interview through to their arrival in their new career.
Since their recruiters only work in the healthcare sector, they can offer solid support, in-depth knowledge, and a personal touch. For more information about them, check Kate Cowhig International Healthcare Recruitment.
5. Mayday Healthcare
Mayday Healthcare is a leading nursing agency, specializing in the recruitment of nurses and healthcare professionals throughout the United Kingdom, both in the private sector and the NHS. Their live vacancies include agency nurse jobs, A&E nurse jobs, and midwife jobs.
They prioritize providing exceptional service to their clients and agency nurses alike while working to reduce off-framework spend and minimize clinical risk. Check Mayday Healthcare for more information.
6. HW Healthcare LTD
HW Healthcare is an established nursing agency with 20 years of experience in the healthcare industry, empowering them with an understanding of what care/nursing homes expect from their agency partners as well as knowing how valuable their staff is.
The brand believes that nurses should earn what they deserve. Click to find out more about HW Healthcare.
7. Take Five Healthcare
This nursing agency and training provider specializes in providing staffing support to the care sector. They support care and nursing homes, community care providers, hospices, and supported living & working environments throughout Gloucestershire and the surrounding areas.
You can know more about them by clicking Take Five Healthcare.
8. Drake Medox
They work with NHS Trusts and independent hospitals to manage successful international recruitment projects. They have a record of successfully placing more than 18,000 healthcare professionals in hospitals in the United Kingdom since 1998.
See Drake Medox for more information about them.
9. Pearls International Recruitment Agency
This is an established independent nursing and care recruitment agency with over 16 years of experience in supporting organizations of all sizes. They operate globally, sourcing and placing nurses, care, and allied health professionals, in the United Kingdom, the European Union, and around the world.
See Pearls International Recruitment Agency for more information.
10. Tezlom™ – Professional Healthcare and Nursing Recruitment Agency.
Simply put, they specialize in the hiring of Care Assistants, Support Workers, and Registered Nurses. Over time, the agency has grown into an established franchise that serves some of the United Kingdom’s largest, most renowned care providers such as NHS Hospitals and many more.
See Tezlom™ for more information.
Conclusion
Nurses play an important role in society, they shouldn’t struggle to get a job that allows them to serve society, live in their country of choice, and earn a good living.
Recruitment agencies have been largely responsible for the unimpeded influx of nurses into the UK health care system hence reducing the propensity for the dearth of nurses in the UK. If you are looking for a nursing job in the UK, increase your chances by engaging any of the agencies referenced in this article.
