The Bermuda Hospitals Board is struggling to recruit staff in part because health worker salaries are not competitive, it has been claimed.

One employee, who did not want to be named, said that some positions had been vacant for months and that the board was struggling to recruit staff from overseas.

A BHB spokeswoman confirmed that recruitment was a challenge but said that staffing in clinical areas met “safe levels”.

The health worker contacted The Royal Gazette after the newspaper revealed that BHB staff had not had a pay increase in seven years.

They said: “There are a number of clinical vacancies which have been advertised locally and internationally for a number of months.

“We have heard that potential applicants have pulled out of committing due to the salary versus the cost of living balance.”

The BHB spokeswoman said that there was a high demand for nurses and physicians globally and that so recruitment for these roles was “much harder”.

She added: “Being able to offer a competitive package is important but is not the only issue that impacts recruitment. Many countries are now looking worldwide for healthcare workers.

“Areas in which we currently experience the most vacancies at BHB include medical/surgical and emergency department nurses, pharmacy and also laboratory services.

“We continue to ensure that we have safe staffing levels set for all our clinical areas but in the areas under pressure we are using more locums, casual staff and overtime to cover shifts caused by vacancies, personal leave and manning the unbudgeted bed boarding unit in the Emergency Department.

“Our greater concern is staff burnout in these areas, so a lot of work is going into our recruitment efforts.”

She added: “BHB’s vacancy rate as of January 2025 was 12.08 per cent. The number of vacancies include actual vacancies but also positions that have been filled by candidates who have not landed or locals who are working through their notice period to commence employment with BHB.

“Our goal is 10 per cent, which is in line with international benchmarks. Our current vacancy rate does not constitute an overall concern regarding staffing, although the rates in different departments will vary.

“Certainly, within the global and local marketplace for healthcare professionals our ability to set competitive wages can impact our success, and globally competition for nurses and doctors in particular is very intense. Our vacancy rate for nurses is, however, slightly lower at about 10 per cent.”

The spokeswoman said that immigration regulations slowed down the recruitment of guest workers.

She added: “We continue to work hard to recruit in Bermuda and overseas and it has to be factored in that overseas candidates can take six to 12 months to land. Candidates from visa-restricted jurisdictions such as Jamaica, India and African countries are taking longer than usual to land because of the need to secure UK five-year multi-entry visas.

“Depending on the originating jurisdiction the visa application process may result in an additional six to 12-month delay.”

The spokeswoman added that BHB encouraged local recruitment.

She said: “We also work to have sustainable programmes to encourage Bermudians into a healthcare career at home. BHB partners with the Bermuda College to deliver the Certified Nursing Assistant programme and the Associates Degree in Nursing that leads to Registered Nurse professional designation.

“BHB also supports the Department of Economy & Labour's initiative to attract Bermudians home. We know that many Bermudians have migrated to the UK and they are in a great position to train in a healthcare career while they are in the UK and bring their new skills home by exploring the available jobs at BHB on our website.

“BHB would welcome expatriate Bermudians and/or those who have spouses to return home to work in our health service. We remain grateful to all our staff from Bermuda and overseas who continue to care for our patients and families.”