This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/society/2018/apr/27/hostile-environment-policy-leaving-doctors-without-visas-say-nhs-officials

The article has changed 6 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 0 Version 1
Hostile environment policy leaving doctors without visas, say NHS officials Hostile environment policy leaving doctors without visas, say NHS officials
(about 1 hour later)
The government’s hostile environment policy towards immigrants is worsening NHS staffing problems as visas are being denied for hundreds of international doctors, health officials have said.The government’s hostile environment policy towards immigrants is worsening NHS staffing problems as visas are being denied for hundreds of international doctors, health officials have said.
NHS Employers said that since December 400 visas for doctors across the UK had been refused, despite the staffing crisis in hospitals.NHS Employers said that since December 400 visas for doctors across the UK had been refused, despite the staffing crisis in hospitals.
And 35 NHS trusts have accused immigration officials of putting patient safety at risk by blocking visas for around 100 Indian doctors who were offered jobs in the health service, the BBC reports.And 35 NHS trusts have accused immigration officials of putting patient safety at risk by blocking visas for around 100 Indian doctors who were offered jobs in the health service, the BBC reports.
The trusts have written to the home secretary, Amber Rudd, who is already under fire over the impact of the hostile environment policy on the Windrush generation, demanding the decision be overturned.The trusts have written to the home secretary, Amber Rudd, who is already under fire over the impact of the hostile environment policy on the Windrush generation, demanding the decision be overturned.
The letter, which was also sent to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, says the Indians involved were part of a postgraduate course aimed at attracting doctors from around the world to work in the NHS.The letter, which was also sent to the health secretary, Jeremy Hunt, says the Indians involved were part of a postgraduate course aimed at attracting doctors from around the world to work in the NHS.
The self-funding “earn, learn and return” programme is aimed at filling medical staffing gaps in specialist areas in the NHS.The self-funding “earn, learn and return” programme is aimed at filling medical staffing gaps in specialist areas in the NHS.
The letter claims that refusing the visas will lead to unfilled rotas and knock-on effects for patients’ safety.The letter claims that refusing the visas will lead to unfilled rotas and knock-on effects for patients’ safety.
The BBC quoted the letter as saying: “There will be no option but to fill the rotas with locums at significant expense and there will be an impact on British trainees because they will have to work additional hours and therefore lose quality training time.The BBC quoted the letter as saying: “There will be no option but to fill the rotas with locums at significant expense and there will be an impact on British trainees because they will have to work additional hours and therefore lose quality training time.
“As we reach the end of a winter when the NHS has been stretched to its very limits, partly as a result of a lack of medical workforce, we find it almost impossible to understand how this decision can have been reached.”“As we reach the end of a winter when the NHS has been stretched to its very limits, partly as a result of a lack of medical workforce, we find it almost impossible to understand how this decision can have been reached.”
NEW Employers who want to recruit from outside the EU have to apply for a Tier 2 work permit, under which some listed types of doctors can enter the UK. But the banned doctors are not included on this list. END NEW
Dr Sanjay Arya, medical director of the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS trust, said he feared patients could suffer. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “It will have a very huge impact on patient care and patient safety. I see it every day that there are gaps on the rota.Dr Sanjay Arya, medical director of the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS trust, said he feared patients could suffer. Speaking to BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “It will have a very huge impact on patient care and patient safety. I see it every day that there are gaps on the rota.
“We haven’t got enough doctors to look after the sick, frail, elderly patients in our NHS and many a time the existing doctors are working long hours, which is very tiring. It makes them an unsafe doctor. So if we had this pool of highly qualified doctors coming from overseas it is only going to help our patients, our NHS.”“We haven’t got enough doctors to look after the sick, frail, elderly patients in our NHS and many a time the existing doctors are working long hours, which is very tiring. It makes them an unsafe doctor. So if we had this pool of highly qualified doctors coming from overseas it is only going to help our patients, our NHS.”
Earlier this year the Guardian reported that senior doctors from overseas appointed to fill key roles in UK hospitals were being blocked from taking up their jobs because their NHS salaries are too low under immigration rules. Doctors also claim they face deportation if they make errors on immigration forms.Earlier this year the Guardian reported that senior doctors from overseas appointed to fill key roles in UK hospitals were being blocked from taking up their jobs because their NHS salaries are too low under immigration rules. Doctors also claim they face deportation if they make errors on immigration forms.
The chief executive of NHS Employers, Danny Mortimer, told the BBC he had heard of 400 cases of blocked visas since December. The chief executive of NHS Employers, Danny Mortimer, told the BBC he had heard of 500 cases of blocked visas since December.
“We have examples of clinics being cancelled and delays in terms of patients receiving care. It exacerbates pressures in what are relatively small medical teams,” he said. Speaking on the BBC’s Today programme, he said: “Over the last five months, in addition to the [100] posts you are covering, we are aware of at least 400 doctors who haven’t been able to enter the country to take up posts right across the country. Not having those doctors delays treatment for people … It means that if we do manage to cover something, particularly for an emergency rota, we are paying a premium to cover. That means the extra money we are spending on a locum isn’t available to spend elsewhere.”
A Home Office spokeswoman told the BBC that the system was in the national interest. Dr Nick Scriven, the president of the Society for Acute Medicine, which represents acute medical specialists in hospitals, said the NHS was suffering a double disadvantage because of hospital trusts’ difficulties in hiring doctors from abroad.
It quoted her as saying: “When demand exceeds the monthly allocation of visas, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage of PhD-level occupations. Around a third of the available visas already go to NHS workers and in some roles such as emergency medicine, applications are never refused.” “I have heard some issues with recruitment from overseas and visas. Doctors are not necessarily on the ‘hard-pressed’ occupation list and trusts have had to withdraw job offers or have had months of delays. This is a real problem as it is depriving patients of people who are often high-class medical professionals and also it is pushing up costs to the NHS as they then have to resort to very high-cost locums,” he said.
A Home Office spokesman said the system was in the national interest.
In a statement he said: “When demand exceeds the monthly available allocation of tier 2 (general) places, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage or PhD-level occupations.
“The published shortage list, based on advice by the Migration Advisory Committee, includes a range of medical professionals, including consultants specialising in clinical radiology and emergency medicine, and we estimate that around a third of all tier 2 places go to the NHS.”
NHSNHS
DoctorsDoctors
HealthHealth
Immigration and asylumImmigration and asylum
Amber RuddAmber Rudd
newsnews
Share on FacebookShare on Facebook
Share on TwitterShare on Twitter
Share via EmailShare via Email
Share on LinkedInShare on LinkedIn
Share on PinterestShare on Pinterest
Share on Google+Share on Google+
Share on WhatsAppShare on WhatsApp
Share on MessengerShare on Messenger
Reuse this contentReuse this content