A CAMPAIGN to boost the number of health workers in Bolton has hit a stumbling block after recruits failed a language exam.

The Bolton NHS Foundation Trust has been seeking staff from outside the UK, flying in more than 100 people from foreign countries including the Philippines.

However the trust has now reported that it may not hit its employment targets after some recruits failed the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

More than 13 percent have reportedly failed the test which measures the language proficiency of people who want to study or work where English is used as a language of communication.

Speaking at the most recent of the trust board of directors meeting, non-executive director Andrew Thornton was concerned they would not have the staff numbers up by winter.

He said: “The big headline is international recruitment. We have got one recruit who has started and another six about to land with us over the next few weeks.

“However, out of 133 we still have 60 who haven’t started the process, and that’s a real worry.

“If I was a gambling man I would put us at less than 20 new recruits by September.”

The focus has been on employing nurses for the trust, with recruitment taking place through an agency.

However, directors are now seeking reassurance that the agency has an established record for sourcing employees who can pass the language exams.

Chairman David Wakefield said Bolton needed a plan to ensure it could recruit the right staff from both home and abroad.

He added: “The reality is every trust wants more nurses and they are looking abroad, despite Brexit.

“But it is really, really important we get people who can speak a language understood by patients.

“We are one of the most successful trusts in the UK by any measure but we are struggling to recruit. We need to get the message out there that this is a place you want to work.”

The trust also reported that it was taking steps to recruit as many staff as possible from the local area.

This includes a recruitment event in Bolton on May 20, promoting the trust to new nursing recruits.

A spokesperson for the trust added: “We are closely working with the agency to ensure that as many of the nurses who were made job offers as with us in Bolton as soon as possible.

“We are also holding a large recruitment event on 20th May in order to promote With our CQC rating of good, and our nationally praised financial surplus, we encourage anyone looking for a career in nursing to come along and find out more about why Bolton is such a great place to work.”