The Department of Health (DoH) has announced plans to tighten up rules on recruiting nurses from overseas for the NHS.

The new proposals will extend the existing code of practice to a further 200 recruitment agencies that recruit domestic medical staff.

The code currently only applies to 178 agencies that supply nurses from abroad. It restricts recruitment from over 150 nations, including South Africa, other African nations and some Asian countries.

The DoH hopes the extra proposals will stop the practice of “back-door recruitment” where staff are recruited to work for private health firms but end up working for the NHS.

At present the code is voluntary, but the Royal College of Nursing believes it should be made mandatory. Recruiters hoping to win NHS ‘framework’ recruitment contracts need to sign up to the code, but agencies who recruit for private health firms don’t.

Julia Fraser, chief executive of healthcare agency Recruitment Solutions Group, which is already signed up to the code of conduct, said the new regulations would do little to stop the flow of overseas workers to the UK.

“The Department of Health loves to blame private agencies but if nurses from these countries find their way into the NHS, then it’s the NHS that’s making the hiring decision,” she said. “If they come over as holidaymakers and approach us for work in their chosen profession, why should we turn them away?”