More than two-thirds of trusts and health boards in the UK are actively trying to recruit from abroad as they struggle to cope with a shortage of qualified staff, figures reveal.
Tens of thousands of NHS nursing and doctor posts are vacant.
The statistics, obtained by the BBC, show the scale of the NHS recruitment crisis.
Health unions blame poor workforce planning, but officials say the NHS has more staff than ever before.
Data from a BBC Freedom of Information request shows that on 1 December 2015, the NHS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland had more than 23,443 nursing vacancies - equivalent to 9% of the workforce.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-35667939