Number of EU nurses registering to work in UK plummets

The number of European Union nurses and midwives registering to work in Britain fell by almost 90 percent in the 12 months to September, according to the first full-year figures since the U.K. voted to leave the bloc.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council said Thursday that the number of EU nationals joining the profession here was 10,178 in the year to Sept. 2016 and 1,107 in the year to Sept. 2017.

The number of EU nurses and midwives leaving the profession also rose sharply.

Liberal Democrat health spokeswoman Judith Jolly, who opposes Brexit, said it was evidence of a "deeply worrying Brexodus of EU nurses."

But the Department for Health said 3,193 more EU nationals are working in Britain's health service than at the time of the June 2016 referendum.

© 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.