Overseas staff on the rise

There has been an 82 per cent increase in the number of overseas
social workers entering the UK, according to research commissioned
by the Department of Health.

Between April 2003 and May 2004 numbers rose from 1,390 to 2,524
– the largest increase recorded to date, said the deputy
director of workforce at the DoH Rob Webster.
 
The unpublished research by Kings College, London, looked at
overseas social workers processed by regulatory body the General
Social Care Council.

It found that the biggest increases are from non-EU countries,
such as India with a 156 per cent rise and Canada with a 118 per
cent increase.