RED tape could delay the arrival of the first group of overseas nurses to Princess Margaret Hospital.

Hospital staff travelled to Manila in the Philippines where they signed up 20 new nurses.

And the first group of 10 are due to arrive in two weeks.

But the switch between the old registration body, the United Kingdom Central Council, to the Nursing and Midwifery Council last month has led to a backlog in processing applications.

Newly qualified nurses who have recently completed courses have been made to wait before starting work because of delays in registering them and allocating a pin number.

Swindon and Marlborough NHS Trust's overseas co-ordinator, Nichola Mayo, said: "We are concerned that there may be some delay caused by the administrative changes, but we are hoping that this will not be the case. If all goes well, the first group of qualified nurses should arrive on May 17 and will provide a much needed addition to the workforce."

Most of nurses will take up posts as theatre staff. All of those signed up are highly qualified and speak good English.

The following group of 10 nurses are expected to take up their posts at the new Great Western Hospital in January.

This is the fourth time that the hospital trust has looked overseas to resolve its staffing issues, having made previous trips to Australia, the United Arab Emirates and Singapore where more than 100 nurses have been recruited.

The hospital has taken the unusual step of recruiting from overseas after its attempts to recruit in this country ran into a brick wall because of fierce competition for dwindling numbers of suitably qualified staff.