The shortfall has come about because the number of training places was cut by the Government in 2010 meaning there are fewer ‘home grown’ nurses coming up through the system.
In addition, hospitals are now under pressure to hire more nurses than ever before to care for the rising numbers of elderly patients who are very dependent.
Nevertheless it is highly unusual for managers to recruit such a large batch of overseas nurses from one country in such a short space of time.
The trust has been under severe pressure over the last few months and has been struggling to cope with the high volumes of patients coming into its two A&E units.