HEALTH leaders claim the area's hospitals could not run without the contributions of European doctors and nurses as they publicly thanked them for their 'invaluable' work following last week's controversial Brexit vote.

Jackie Daniel, chief executive of the trust that runs Barrow's Furness General Hospital, has published an open letter on the matter because of concern over the rights of foreign workers resulting from Britain's exit from the EU.

Around 200 healthcare workers from a number of European nations are employed by the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust across its three sites, including FGH, Westmorland General Hospital in Kendal and the Royal Lancaster Infirmary.

The staff, largely qualified nurses, are from countries such as Spain, Portugal, Cyprus and Greece.

There is thought to be uncertainty around their future right to work in the country without a visa once Britain leaves the European Union.

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Mrs Daniel has pledged to continue the trust's international recruitment programme - including within EU countries, and to support existing staff during any uncertainty.

She said: "As a local trust and as the NHS as a whole, I don’t believe we could function without the work of our dedicated EU workforce.

"I want to take this opportunity to reassure all of our staff that as an employer, we will not suddenly turn our back on our EU colleagues.

"I am proud that we have a workforce which is diverse and becoming even more inclusive.

"We have colleagues that have relocated and traveled incredible distances to join us and bringing their families with them too, and this should be celebrated."

Clarification over the rights of European nationals to work within Britain after it formally exits the EU are yet to be clarified, along with other issues such as border controls, trade agreements and EU funding for ongoing medical research programmes.

David Wilkinson, UHMBT director of workforce and organisational development, described the contribution made by European staff as 'invaluable', adding support would be provided to them until the situation is clarified.

"The NHS has a long-established history of a diverse workforce, drawn from across the globe," he said.

"At Morecambe Bay, we have around 200 European Union nationals working in our hospitals, each one of them playing a vital role in providing high quality care to our patients.

"We value the contribution that every member of staff makes across our trust, and the outcome of the referendum doesn’t change this."

Mr Wilkinson added: "As with the rest of the country, we do not yet know how the outcome of the leave vote will affect us, including the way that we work, but we will continue with our overseas recruitment campaigns to supplement local and national initiatives."