HOSPITAL bosses in Blackburn are looking to Eastern Europe to fill gaps in their nursing establishment, it has emerged.

NHS trust directors have been told that management at the Royal Blackburn and Burnley General hospitals are exploring the possibility of bringing in new recruits from Kosovo.

But medical leaders have stressed the project, being investigated in partnership with the University of Central Lancashire, is in its infancy.

East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust (ELHT) has previously hired Filipino nurses, though there were some difficulties initially with candidates passing stringent English language tests.

Before that the trust took on Italian nurses - but later admitted a quarter had left after failing to settle in East Lancashire.

The announcement comes after Christine Pearson, ELHT’s nursing director, told a board meeting nursing and midwifery staffing still represented a “significant challenge”.

Five hospital areas had reported nursing levels of less than 80 per cent, with several extra areas being brought into use due to patient demand.

She confirmed the trust’s assistant chief executive, Leslie Stove, was working with UCLan on potentially training and employing Kosovan nurses.

Earlier in 2018 the Nursing and Midwifery Council backed an increase in the number of overseas nurses coming to the UK’s, after they recommended changes to English language criteria for applicants.

Their figures showed 67,534 nurses and midwives from outside the EU had registered in the year leading up to July 2017, with 69,425 signing up by the end of June 2018.

Emma Broadbent, NMC registration director, said: “It’s pleasing to see an increase in nurses and midwives from outside the EU joining the UK workforce over the past few months.

"Indications are the changes we’ve made are making a difference - but it’s very early days and we must wait to see if this trend continues.

“The fact remains the UK workforce is under significant pressure and it’s vital we continue to enable the right people with the right skills and knowledge to join our register in the quickest and safest way possible.”