There is a recognised widespread shortage of skilled staff in health and personal social services. Employers are aiming to improve recruitment and retention practices, and are engaging in recruiting nurses and other healthcare staff from overseas as part of their workforce planning strategy.

The Department in partnership with Trade Unions and professional bodies has developed a Good Practice Guide, Embracing Diversity  (PDF 254 KB) , on the employment of overseas healthcare staff in Northern Ireland’s Health and Social Services. The guide was launched on 16 November 2004 and its aim is to help ensure that ethnic minority healthcare staff, particularly those who may have been recruited from overseas, are not subjected to racial discrimination or any other kind of racist abuse.

In response to growing anecdotal evidence of racist abuse experienced by overseas health workers, the Department commissioned the Institute for Conflict Research (ICR) in 2005 to carry out research into the nature and extent of racist behaviours experienced by Northern Ireland's ethnic minority healthcare staff.  ICR's research report can be viewed using the following link:

Following publication of the report an action plan will be developed with input from key stakeholders, which will tackle racism within Health and Personal Social Services.