Airedale General Hospital has been forced to employ overseas nurses for the first time because of a deepening recruitment crisis.

A total of 17 nurses from Southern India have flown in to work in the acute division, where vacancies reached an all-time high of 25.

Senior nurse Pat Sagar said the Steeton hospital had not experienced recruitment troubles until last year.

"We don't normally have problems in this area," she said. "Certainly in big cities they have for a long time, but not in a district hospital. We are now working with Bradford University to bring more than 20 Chinese nurses in November."

Airedale General Hospital normally recruits nurses from Bradford University College of Health, but the number of applicants from the last job fair fell short of requirements.

Managers decided to follow Blackburn Royal Infirmary's example and interview 27 nurses from the Kerala region.

Managers were so impressed by their quality, nature and experience and their ability to speak and write fluent English that they took on more than they originally intended. The hospital has now created a three-month adaptation programme, which includes supervised practice, at the end of which the nurses will be able to apply for full UK registration.

"They are all registered in their own country and have a lot of experience," said Mrs Sagar. "They just need to adapt to our forms and the way the system works. For example, they don't have social workers in India and don't have to worry about discharge planning.

"They are doing really well and we are very pleased with them."

For every nursing post advertised in India, there are 70 applicants.

Most of the new arrivals are experienced in critical care and have five-year working permits.