The UK Government is asking NHS trusts and agencies to stop recruiting nurses from Ghana.

In a bulletin to health professionals, England's chief nursing officer Sarah Mullally said: "If your organisation was considering actively recruiting from Ghana using an agent, then please reconsider."

Her appeal follows the introduction of a general code of practice on ethical recruitment introduced by the Government earlier this year.

The Department of Health said that it only recruits from countries which approve of the UK targeting their nurses.