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The number of EU nurses registering to work in the UK has plummeted 96 per cent since the referendum on Brexit.

Just 46 nurses applied to practise in the UK in April this year, falling from 1,304 in July last year after the country voted to leave the EU.

The Health Foundation, which obtained the figures in a Freedom of Information request to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, said the sharp decline "should be a wake-up call to politicians and health service leaders".

Applications from EU nurses dropped steeply to 344 between July and September last year before continuing to fall.

It comes with the NHS already struggling to fill nursing vacancies, with the Health Foundation citing a shortage of 30,000 in England alone.

Anita Charlesworth, director of research and economics at the health charity, described recruitment and retention of nurses as "one of the biggest challenges facing health and social care".

She said: "The drop in EU nurses registering to work in the UK could not be more stark – just 46 registered to work in the UK in April. Without EU nurses it will be even harder for the NHS and other employers to find the staff they need to provide safe patient care. The findings should be a wake-up call to politicians and health service leaders.

"Clearly action is needed to offset any further loss of EU nursing staff in the near future."

But she added: "The overall shortage of 30,000 nurses is not a shortage caused by the Brexit vote. The chronic shortage of nurses is the result of years of short-term planning and cuts to training places. A sustainable, long-term approach to workforce planning is desperately needed."

Shadow health secretary Jonathan Ashworth warned of a "drain of talent out of our country" and called on the Government to guarantee the rights of EU healthcare workers.

He said: "Theresa May's weak and unstable government has pushed NHS services to the brink, and it is patients who will pay the price.

"Our health service has always relied on the contribution of overseas workers, yet these staff are being forced out by this government's neglect and disregard.

"The Tories are overseeing an unforgivable drain of talent out of our country, because of their chaotic attitude to the Brexit negotiations."

He added: "The NHS should be a priority in the Brexit negotiations and the Government should immediately guarantee the rights of EU staff who are working here in our health and care service."

In April, leaked Government figures showed the NHS faced a shortage of between 26,000 and 42,000 nurses six years after Brexit.

At the time, the Department for Health insisted the "valuable contribution" made to the NHS by EU nationals would be "taken into account during Brexit negotiations."