Nurses recruited from Australia to ease chronic staff shortages in Oxfordshire are being forced to delay their start date - because of problems with red tape.

The Overseas Labour Service, responsible for issuing work permits, is finding increased demand has led to a backlog of applications, slowing down the process.

The organisation is struggling under the weight of applications, stemming from British NHS Trusts, and other institutions worldwide, buckling under shortages of nurses.

Nurses bound for Oxfordshire hospitals from Australia and New Zealand have been delayed by as much as two months, increasing the strain on the county's hospitals.

Those who have already arrived are not affected as they have to have the work permits before entering the country.

New recruits from Australia and New Zealand started arriving to work in the John Radcliffe and Churchill hospitals last December.

Altogether, 102 nurses have been recruited to combat massive shortages in the county, which has problems second only to London.

Five arrived in December and seven in January and the rest will arrive in spurts over the next few months, but not all are facing problems.

Mrs Janet Grant, the trust's deputy director of nursing, said the problem was affecting "a small number" of nurses as many could claim right of abode because of relatives living in the UK or take advantage of newly-relaxed laws on overseas working.

Mrs Grant said: "It is not a major problem. The work permits are coming through but some of them are a bit slower than we had thought.

"They are all still coming. We have not had any fall-out - just a slight delay."

Nobody from the Overseas Labour Service was available to comment.

Story date: Tuesday 09 February

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