People in need of care and their families often find it difficult to find professional care – also because of staff shortages in many homes and services.

Despite staffing shortages in the nursing sector, thousands of well-trained nurses from abroad are waiting months for their recognition in Germany, according to an association. "The recognition procedures drag on for an average of 500 days, while those in need of care and their families desperately seek support," Bernd Meurer, President of the Federal Association of Private Providers of Social Services (bpa), told the German Press Agency in Berlin.

According to the association, around 11,000 trained nurses from abroad are not allowed to work as skilled workers in Germany due to months of waiting for recognition. The bpa, with its approximately 14,000 member facilities in outpatient and inpatient care and other social services, determined this figure for the media company "Correctiv."

Many of these caregivers—half of whom work in geriatric care, half in hospitals—are currently employed only as support staff. They are permitted to serve meals or assist with laundry, for example, but are not permitted to administer medication or provide care independently.

"Germany should welcome every international force with open arms. In practice, however, regulatory frenzy and mistrust prevail," said Meurer. "Many responsible authorities are also overwhelmed due to their own staffing shortages." The focus must be on security of supply – "and not on the assiduously stamping out certified document translations," Meurer said. At the same time, nursing services and homes are having to turn away countless applications due to a lack of staff.

The new government and designated Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) must stipulate in the Nursing Professions Act that those affected can be employed as skilled workers immediately. Any necessary reviews could then be conducted subsequently. Meurer proposed this new regulation only for those who can demonstrate at least three years of training and sufficient language skills.

Today, authorities in each federal state proceed differently. Bavaria, for example, has comparatively fast procedures. When asked whether a lack of thoroughness on the part of the authorities could jeopardize patient safety, the bpa president said that many of the requirements concern basic care. "Of course, the staff are proficient in this, but they haven't formally completed it in their training programs in their home countries because the curricula there are much more tailored to the demanding tasks of specialists."