The Department of Health plans to introduce guidelines later this year which will steer NHS trusts away from foreign recruits in some circumstances.

Ministers are concerned that Britain could be criticised for poaching nurses from Third World countries where their skills are needed.

Safeguarding nursing

A DoH spokeswoman said the guidance would stipulate that recruitment from abroad "should only be considered by the NHS when there is a clear nursing surplus in the countries where they are being recruited from".

The objective was to safeguard the interests of nursing in those countries, she added.

The DoH stressed that the move was not motivated by a desire to save money.

Foreign nurses tend to be recruited on short-term contracts and it is thought that many remain on the wards for less than a year, refusing permanent posts in favour of travelling in Europe, or returning home with enhanced qualifications.

Most staff nurses are paid �15,000 a year but many trusts pay for air fares, training and accommodation to make the package more attractive.

Hospitals dependent

Estimates suggest that there are up to 3,600 nurses and midwives from countries including the Philippines, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand, Finland and the Third World working in British hospitals.

The annual wage bill is believed to be around �72m, but there are no official figures for recruitment costs.

The planned policy change reflects what the government considers a successful drive to encourage UK trained nurses to either join or rejoin the profession.

The campaign, relying heavily on luring former staff back the NHS, has added 4,000 nurses to the 300,000-strong workforce.

Christine Hancock, general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: "There is a strong tradition of overseas nurses coming to Britain to nurse.

"What we must do is stop the wholesale recruitment from countries whose need is greater than ours."