The Queens Medical Centre (QMC) has more than 100 nursing vacancies which are proving hard to fill.

In the last few months, there has been an increase in the number of nurses from abroad applying to work there.

There are already almost 100 foreign nurses working at the QMC.

Accent obstacle

Critics of the practice say recruiting nurses from developing nations strips those countries of skilled workers.

Another problem is overcoming the language barrier, especially with local accents.

But authorities at the QMC point out a lot of work is put into tackling these difficulties.

Theresa Walsh, Overseas Nurse Co-ordinator at the QMC, said: "The colloquial English dialect is the main obstacle for the overseas nurses.

"The International Language School in Nottingham runs a two-day English course on their induction.

'New responsibility'

"It concentrates on the colloquial aspect and the dialect and how to handle telephone calls.

"After a few months some of the nurses develop a Nottingham accent which can really be quite amusing."

Ryan Inumerable, from the Philippines, is the first foreign nurse to be promoted.

He said: "It's quite flattering as I have only been here for 10 months.

"It means new responsibility and learning new things like how to deal with complaints."