Indian nurses head to Britain

A record number of nurses from India have registered to work in Britain over the past year.

New figures released by the Nursing and Midwifery Council in Britain show that in the past year more than 1,800 Indian nurses have joined the National Health Service (NHS) almost double the number for the previous year.

Hospitals in Britain have found it increasingly difficult to recruit and retain nurses, particularly at senior levels, as many are leaving the profession because of poor pay and overwhelming workload.

Nearly 13,000 overseas staff have helped fill some of the gaps in the past year.

However, officials say that there's still a serious shortfall.

From the newsroom of the BBC World Service