ALMOST one-in-10 NHS nursing posts in Gwent are vacant - with Aneurin Bevan University Health Board once again looking overseas for recruits as part of a range of measures to boost numbers.

Sizeable numbers of nursing vacancies are not exclusive to the NHS in Gwent, with the issue affecting much of Wales and the rest of the UK.

But they are of "great concern", says assistant director of nursing Linda Alexander, who added that while the health board is currently compliant in terms of meeting the requirements of the Nurse Staffing (Wales) Act - which seeks to ensure appropriate levels of nursing staff on wards - the vacancy rate "presents a risk and a challenge".

A health board report on the most recent twice-yearly review and re-calculation of nurse staffing levels on wards currently subject to the requirements of the Act, states that before recalculation during September and October, "many acute wards were not achieving the necessary registered nurse compliment to meet the required... levels".

Changes have since been made to rosters to address the issue, and Ms Alexander said wards are now compliant.

The latest publicly available registered nurse vacancy figures for the health board - for October - show there were 360.96 whole time equivalent (wte) vacancies, against an agreed 3,707.11 wte nursing posts, a rate of almost 10 per cent.

Vacancies cover the divisions of unscheduled care, scheduled care, family and therapies, community/primary care, and mental health/learning disabilities, but are most acute in unscheduled and scheduled care, which account for almost two thirds of the total.

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Twenty-nine wards - 15 medical, 12 surgical and two gynaecology - across the Royal Gwent, Nevill Hall and St Woolos Hospitals, and Ysbyty Ystrad Fawr are subject to Nurse Staffing (Wales) Act requirements, and account for a little more than 170 wte vacancies.

"There are a vast number of vacancies, particularly in the acute divisions. This is not exclusive to Aneurin Bevan University Health Board, and is of great concern," Ms Alexander told health board members.

Inevitably, expensive agency staff have to be used, but work is going on to recruit nurses to fill the gaps.

These include a return to practice programme to attract retired nurses and those who have left the profession.

Overseas recruitment is another focus, and the health board is working with two agencies to bring nurses from the Philippines and India, said Ms Alexander, stressing that care must be taken over the ethical recruitment of overseas nurses and where they can be recruited from.

The health board will also take in 60 student nurses next March, around double the number originally expected.

Another development is that of Core Care Teams, a model of working "promoting the principle of the 'prudent registered nurse' with an emphasis on appropriate and safe delegation practice", states the report.

"It's about making sure registered nurses are doing what registered nurses need to do. and what they can safely delegate to others," said Ms Alexander.