A CONTROVERSIAL trawl for Indian mental health nurses to work at Worcestershire psychiatric hospitals has been hailed a success, with 13 offered jobs in the county.

The Evening News reported in March how mental health bosses were set to travel to India in a desperate bid to recruit nurses because scores of them in the UK are quitting the job which has become "unrewarding and stressful," according to union nursing officials.

As a result, Worcestershire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust placed advertisements on the internet and in local newspapers in Bangalore and Delhi.

Now the trust has revealed that more than 50 candidates were interviewed in India before the 13 were offered positions working at the county's six psychiatric hospitals.

"It is anticipated that the new recruits will join the trust during July 2004," said the trust's director of clinical services and nursing Colin Vines in a report to the board, which is set to meet tomorrow.

"They will be subject to a six-month adaptation programme and will be able to practice as qualified nurses from January next year.

"The quality of applicants was exceptional and all successful applicants have undertaken both mental health and general nursing basic training and in addition have also studied for the Diploma in Psychiatric Nursing."

The news that trust board members were travelling to India on the recruitment drive was met with anger by West-Worcestershire Tory MP Sir Michael Spicer.

He told the Evening News in March that he feared the costs of the campaign would add to the county health service's huge £25m debt.

"I find it incredibly surprising that we can not recruit people from this country in what is a frontline and rewarding service," he said.

However, Mr Vines said the exercise cost £6,000 - the same price as a full-page advertisement in a nursing journal in the UK - two of which had only attracted two applicants.