According to the Royal College of Nursing the number of NHS hospital nurses is now lower than it was in 2010. This is in part due to the reduction in training places due to cuts, with the effect that thousands who apply to become nurses cannot get trained. This is turn leads to recruiting nurses from overseas who are already trained.
This is barmy. It is also at variance with the claims of the coalition parties that they have boosted the number of nurses and maintained spending on the NHS in real terms. At the very least there seems to have been a degree of robbing Peter to pay Paul. Efficiency savings is one thing, but a plan to increase nurses at the same time as reducing training places is ridiculous.