Access courses and their contribution to the widening participation agenda in the UK

Reasons for mental health nursing shortages in the UK are many and complex. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the need to fill vacant posts, while at the same time negatively impacting on the UK's international recruitment strategy. Whereas international recruitment is essential to reduce workforce shortages, it offers only a short-term solution and potentially leaves lower-income countries with increased nursing shortages themselves. This article considers that a long-term domestic approach to recruitment is needed to reduce future workforce deficits. It is argued that benefits of access courses are increased if delivered by the university directly, as a familiarity with systems, the campus and supportive networks are promoted, and the potential for targeted support is increased. Further research is needed to establish the benefits, but access courses delivered this way may provide a more sustainable solution to nursing workforce shortages in the UK and beyond.

International Recruitment in Canadian Higher Education: Factors Influencing Students’ Perceptions and Experiences with Education Agents

Education agents, also known as college counsellors or third-party recruiters, have been used extensively by Canadian higher education institutions (HEIs) to recruit international students. Unfortunately, little research to date has focused on international students in Canadian HEIs regarding agent practices. This study investigated Canada-bound international students’ perceptions of and experiences with education agents. A survey consisting of two scales was used to gather data. A total of 385 participants representing 59 countries responded to the survey. Findings revealed that nearly half of the participants used education agents during their application, but their general perceptions of and specific experiences with agents were less than satisfactory. This study also identified a few characteristics of international students that might help Canadian HEIs improve the efficiency of their recruitment practices and policies.

The Challenging Integration Paths of Migrant Health Professionals: The Case of Filipino and Indian Nurses in the UK

This article examines the role of institutional factors in shaping the integration paths of migrant health professionals. For this purpose, it draws on two studies focusing on Filipino and Indian nurses working in the UK, which rely on quantitative and qualitative methods, including a web survey and semi-structured interviews. The analysis shows that inequalities have arisen from differentiation processes induced by changes in the institutional settings. Furthermore, inequalities are often reflected in poor working conditions. The authors have identified restrictive rules on immigration and access to the profession as a source of uncertainty and reveal the differentiation of entry paths, with those arriving through an international recruitment agency more frequently disappointed with their working conditions.

Research on the organization of remote workplaces in Russian enterprises

The article examines the contradiction between the sharp increase in the number of remote workplaces and the difficulties in their organization experienced by both employers and their employees. This problem is enhanced by the fact that in scientific publications the issues of organization of remote workplaces with the modern digital environment, mass transition to the remote work in a pandemic are poorly understood. The authors present a review of currently available scientific research and publications, which confirmed the conclusion that, along with a deep study of the essence of remote work and remote jobs, their advantages and disadvantages, the reasons for their appearance, there is a shortage of research on the organization of remote jobs. The purpose of the research presented in the article was to study the state of the organization of remote workplaces in Russian enterprises. The research hypothesis is formulated as follows: despite the intensive development of the practice of remote workplaces, there are many difficulties and problems in their organization. The study uses methods of analyzing secondary data presented on the websites of various agencies, job search services and analytical centers; questionnaire survey at Omsk enterprises. There were interviewed remote employees (481 people) and their managers (253 people) at 206 enterprises of Omsk. As a result, the growth in the number of remote jobs at Russian enterprises was confirmed. This is evidenced by research presented on the websites of the Headhunter job search service, the NAFI analytical center, and the Hays international recruitment agency. A study at the Omsk enterprises have demonstrated the existence of problems in organization of remote workplaces, for example, in equipping remote workplaces, in irregular work schedules and blurring the boundaries between work and personal life, in the lack of effective communication and social isolation of employees, in the lack of understanding of employees' career prospects. The study was conducted in the period from November 2019 to February 2020. With the onset of the pandemic and the massive forced transfer of employees to remote work, the processes of organizing remote workplaces have become even more relevant. As a result, there is planned the second stage of the study, which will further study the features of the organization of remote workplaces in the context of the pandemic. It is planned to develop a mechanism for organizing remote workplaces of specialists, taking into account the timely conditions for the functioning and development of enterprises.

Health workers on the move: the need for global policy

Issue WHO's Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel was adopted in 2010 by WHO Member States to 1: monitor and address unethical international recruitment practices; 2: to strengthen national health workforces. Unethical recruitment and lack of investments in resilient health workforces was leading to increased health inequalities worldwide. The WHO Code provided non-binding behavioral principles to address these. Description The WHO Code came with a monitoring and review mechanism. Member States were to report on Code implementation every three years and every five years the Code's relevance and effectiveness is reviewed. In the 2018/19 reporting round, non-state actors, too, submitted reports to WHO. Wemos carried out a qualitative analysis of these (14) reports and presented the findings to the Expert Advisory Group (EAG) tasked to review the Code in 2019/20. Results Non-state actor reports provide important additional information to Member States' reports on Code implementation. The 14 submissions included cases of unfair treatment of migrant health workers and indicated some improvement in health workforce planning and forecasting. Moreover, they pointed to a lack of efforts (or results thereof) by governments to invest in more resilient health workforces, fueling health worker mobility globally. Lessons These findings are consistent with observations from civil society, trade unions, health professional associations and employers' organizations, as evidenced during the roundtable discussions with the EAG in June 2019. They noted that increased global mobility, not just by health workers, is a given and actually further accelerated by a growing number of inter-country migration agreements, undermining equitable access to a health worker across the globe. They urged for supra-national policies and practices in order to achieve Universal Health Coverage for all by 2030. Key messages With increased global mobility of individuals, an equitable distribution of health workers worldwide surpasses the policy scope of national governments and requires supra-national measures. The involvement of civil society in the monitoring of mobility trends and equity effects of health workforce policies is essential for shared prosperity as envisioned in the SDG Agenda.

9.M. Workshop: Migration and health

Migration has witnessed important development worldwide and in the Mediterranean region because of globalization, political and economic transformations and climate changes. Global agreements on trade in service in addition to deteriorating working conditions have facilitated movement of health professionals from countries of the south to countries of the north with dramatic implications on health systems. The middle east and North Africa region are presently hosting the highest numbers of refugees and migrants fleeing wars and civil strives in South East Asia, Sub Saharan Africa and Middle East. They live in difficult conditions and do not access quality health care services. The geostrategic position of Maghreb and North African countries and their historic ties with Europe imposes to build collaboration and solidarity to deal with the issue of migration and health. Refugees and migrants in Northern and Southern banks of the Mediterranean lack appropriate health and social services, often provided by generous civil society organizations with limited commitment from national governments. Also, their vulnerable status makes them easy targets for international and national human trafficking gangs. Professional associations and scientific societies and schools of public health have an important advocacy role through research and generation of evidence. Health professionals from countries of the southern Mediterranean countries are migrating at increasing pace for several reasons including worsening working conditions to countries of the north and mainly to Europe. Such uncoordinated migration is negatively impacting on health service delivery in countries and it is representing a serious challenge to health systems. Unfortunately, countries of the North, apart from Germany in relation to nurses migrating from Vietnam, are not applying the WHO code of ethics in international recruitment of health professionals. The objectives of the workshop are to: Document gaps in health and social services provided to refugees and migrants as well as issues related to human trafficking among refugees and migrants.Share experiences among countries of the region in provision of health and social services to migrantsAdvocate human right approach in access to decent health and social services to refugees and migrants in Europe and southern Mediterranean countries.Plea for the implementation of the WHO code of ethics in international recruitment of health professionals. Presentations during the workshop: Human trafficking among refugees and migrants in Tunisia: By Dr. Belgacem Sabri.Health promotion for migrants in Morocco: Progress, challenges et prospects, By Pr. Abderrahmane Maaroufi.Brain drain of Tunisian competencies: The case of health professionals: By Pr. Lassaad Laabidi, and Dr Belgacem SabriMapping of access of refugees and migrants in Tunisia in access to social and health care services by Pr. Chokri Arfa. Key messages Advocate human right approach in access to decent health and social services to refugees and migrants in Europe and southern Mediterranean countries. Plea for the implementation of the WHO code of ethics in international recruitment of health professionals.

Health professional mobility in the WHO European Region and the WHO Global Code of Practice: data from the joint OECD/EUROSTAT/WHO-Europe questionnaire

WHO Member States adopted the Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel 10 years ago. This study assesses adherence with the Code’s principles and its continuing relevance in the WHO Europe region with regards to international recruitment of health workers. Data from the joint OECD/EUROSTAT/WHO-Europe questionnaire from 2010 to 2018 are analyzed to determine trends in intra- and inter-regional mobility of foreign-trained doctors and nurses working in case study destination countries in Europe. In 2018, foreign-trained doctors and nurses comprised over a quarter of the physician workforce and 5% of the nursing workforce in five of eight and four of five case study countries, respectively. Since 2010, the proportion of foreign-trained nurses and doctors has risen faster than domestically trained professionals, with increased mobility driven by rising East-West and South-North intra-European migration, especially within the European Union. The number of nurses trained in developing countries but practising in case study countries declined by 26%. Although the number of doctors increased by 27%, this was driven by arrivals from countries experiencing conflict and volatility, suggesting countries generally are increasingly adhering to the Code’s principles on ethical recruitment. To support ethical recruitment practices and sustainable workforce development in the region, data collection and monitoring on health worker mobility should be improved.