Overseas recruitment. Rich pickings.

: A recruitment drive in Germany resulted in the appointment of three consultant anaesthetists and one consultant orthopaedic surgeon for a small acute trust in the north east of England, at a cost of about Pounds 10,000. The initiative involved a senior management team making several visits to Germany to talk to prospective applicants. Shortlisted applicants and their partners were invited for a familiarisation tour of the local area. The initiative met with initial opposition from within the trust but the appointed doctors are now well integrated. Trusts hoping to recruit from abroad should not underestimate the amount of practical support that will be needed by those moving from other countries.