South Asian and other foreign nurses who come to work in British hospitals and care homes face racism, exploitation and isolation, with many describing their jobs as 'slavery', according to a report.

Some of the nurses interviewed for the report from Leeds, Cardiff and London were also charged large and often illegal fees by recruiters who brought them to the United Kingdom, leaving them feeling 'manipulated and cheated', says the Royal College of Nursing.

'We Need Respect', which is based on the experiences of internationally recruited nurses in the UK, found that many of those questioned described their employment, both in the National Health Service and private sector, as 'slavery'.

Among the problems highlighted in the report is the poor accommodation given to the internationally recruited nurses (IRNs) and a lack of personal support, reinforcing 'feelings of isolation and homesickness'.

The nurses also reported experiences of discrimination, sometimes as 'crude racism' but also in the way they felt excluded by their British colleagues.

And they claimed they were singled out for special negative attention if they made mistakes.

Most said they were happy with the support given in NHS jobs, but the private sector came out badly in the report.

The nurses, although fully qualified in their own countries, with an average of 14 years' experience, were made to undergo an adaptation programme to work in the UK while believing it would lead to registration as a nurse.

But many who paid thousands of pounds to recruiters often ended up as low-paid carers in independent care homes, denied the opportunity to complete their adaptation and take up nursing posts.

Nurses working as care assistants in independent homes felt isolated and were often bullied by other workers and had a feeling of being 'policed'.

There was praise for good examples of practice and support by some nurses, particularly those working for the NHS, with a minority of employers developing programmes to introduce IRNs to nursing and British culture.

But many felt British nurses had poorer working conditions and longer hours compared to other places where they had worked.

There was also a feeling that British nurses 'focused on the paperwork rather than the delivery of care'.

RCN general secretary Dr Beverly Malone says many IRNs were too afraid to take action against their recruiters or employers despite exploitation and discrimination.

"We know of cases where nurses have their passports taken away and are threatened with deportation if they complain or try to leave. This is no way to treat human beings," she said.

"It is clear from our report that while recruitment practices in the NHS have improved significantly in recent years, some parts of the independent sector are still lagging behind."

There was also evidence of nurses being recruited from countries where their skills were desperately needed, despite government guidelines banning recruitment from some areas, she said.

About 67 nurses from 18 countries in Africa, South Asia, Europe and elsewhere were questioned for the report by the European Institute of Health and Medical Sciences at Surrey University.