Oct. 15—British officials announced on Oct. 12 a campaign to boycott commercial agencies that recruit nurses from "countries whose medical needs are greater than the UK's," reports the London Independent (Lawrence, 10/12/01). The announcement follows repeated warnings from the National Health Service (NHS)—stemming back as early as two years ago—that it is "unethical" to lure nurses away from countries that are facing their own nursing shortages. Not all developing countries are included in the ban, however. While South Africa and the Caribbean are "off limits," the Philippines has a surplus of nurses and therefore is not included in the ban. Also in British nursing news, 79 percent of 3,500 nurses and midwives recently surveyed by the NHS said "they [are] not well-paid," which members of a British health service union say is most likely contributing to the shortage (AP Newswire, 10/9/01). According to a union official, "Nurses' pay is not attracting recruits in sufficient numbers, leading to decreased staffing levels and frequent staff shortages." In addition to reporting low pay, 22 percent of respondents said they have a second job and 52 percent said they are considering leaving the profession "over pay and conditions."