Immigration Solicitors

Data from the Health and Social Care Information Centre has revealed that one in 10 NHS employees come from overseas – with more than 200 nationalities contributing to Britain’s healthcare system.

The figures show that 204 different countries provide 136,624 NHS workers. India provides the highest number of NHS workers from overseas, with 18,424 Indian nationals working in the health service.

The Philippines is the next largest provider of NHS overseas staff with 12, 744 NHS workers – followed by Ireland (12,613) and Poland (5,507).

The figures also show that 25% of NHS doctors and 11% pf NHS nurses are from overseas – with some NHS staff coming from as far away as Samoa and Timor, as well as Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg has said that without migrants coming to the UK to work, the NHS would “fall over”.

However, leading UK doctors have raised concerns that some NHS staff from overseas are not always sufficiently fluent in the English language – and some do not understand the NHS healthcare system or even British culture.

The Mail online reports that leading fertility expert Lord Winston said that some staff from overseas working in the NHS had been trained “in a completely different way”.

Leading cancer specialist Professor J Meirion Thomas from the Royal Marsden Hospital also expressed concern that some junior doctors from overseas might not be up to the same standard as those trained in the UK.

In 2013, data from the General Medical Council showed that the NHS recruits staff from 143 different countries, including the Congo, Liberia and Belize.
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The NHS is suffering from a shortage of doctors and nurses – and especially midwives as a result of experienced midwives retiring and a rapidly rising birth rate in the UK, partly fuelled by immigration.

Under New Labour, a ban was put in place on recruiting medical staff from developing countries which might suffer as a result of losing nursing staff and doctors.

However, recruitment continued from developing countries and today hospital trusts continue to actively recruit medical staff from overseas.

Tim Finch – who works for a think tank for the Institute for Public Policy Research – told the Mail online:

“For many years, the NHS actively encouraged overseas doctors to move to the UK, many of whom committed to a life here and have since become British citizens.

“Overseas doctors have for many years made a valuable and important contribution to the NHS – especially in key services, where there has been a historic shortage of UK trained doctors.
“This includes consultant posts in emergency care, haematology and old age psychiatry. Without the support of these doctors, many NHS services would struggle to provide effective care to their patients.

“It is essential that doctors treating patients in the UK are subject to proper checks on their language skills and clinical competence,” he added.

Duncan Lewis Immigration Solicitors

Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors can advise on right to work in the UK as well as citizenship, marriage in the UK and student visas.

For expert legal advice on immigration and right to work in the UK, contact Duncan Lewis immigration solicitors on 020 7923 4020.