The Tasmanian Health Service (THS) has been criticised for sending staff oversees to recruit new workers.

In October 2017, two senior THS staff took a taxpayer-funded trip to the UK to attend employment expos.

Now, Tasmania's chief psychiatrist and four senior health service staff have embarked on a nine-day trip back to the UK to entice more staff to the state.

“We plan to be interviewing people for current vacant positions rather than going to expos,” chief psychiatrist Aaron Groves told the ABC.

“This is people who will have applied for positions that we have in Tasmania that are vacant that we haven't been able to fill with Australians for the best part of 12 months.”

There are about 30 vacant mental health service positions in Tasmania, and that need is set to rise after a recent State Government commitment to expand mental health services.

Successful candidates will receive relocation packages of up to about $10,000.

The Health and Community Services Union (HACSU) has labelled the trips “bizarre”, especially at a time when Tasmanian public sector employees are at loggerheads with the Government over a pay rise.

The union says paying staff competitive wages is the best way to attract more people into the mental health sector.

The Australian Nursing and Midwifery Federation (ANMF) says recruiting nurses from the UK should be just a short-term strategy.