Till now, one thing has got clear and that is there is an acute shortage of staff in the NHS. A number of problems are being faced by hospitals as well as by patients due to the shortage of staff.

In order to sort out the complications, many hospitals have been recruiting nurses from foreign countries. If to go as per the data then around 40 hospital trusts have recruited foreign staff.

Around 1,360 nurses have been flown from Spain, the Philippines, Australia and Portugal. Another 41 hospital trusts have been planning to initiate recruitments from aboard.

There are a number of problems that have been coming up in having a smooth recruitment drive. Some of the many problems are holding on positions, reductions and redundancies. These and other problems have led around 20,000 posts to remain vacant.

But it is now being considered that the new arrivals will help in dealing with extra pressure that is going to be witnessed due to winters.

Dr. Charles Saunders, Deputy Chairman of the BMA in Scotland, was of the view, "It is vital that hospital and primary care services have the flexibility to manage sharp rises in demand, particularly from elderly patients".