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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
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| Hostile environment policy leaving doctors without visas, say NHS officials | Hostile environment policy leaving doctors without visas, say NHS officials |
| (about 1 month later) | |
| The government’s hostile environment policy towards immigrants is worsening NHS staffing problems as hundreds of international doctors are being denied visas, health officials have said. | The government’s hostile environment policy towards immigrants is worsening NHS staffing problems as hundreds of international doctors are being denied visas, health officials have said. |
| NHS Employers said 400 visas for doctors to work in the UK had been refused since December, despite the staffing crisis in hospitals. | NHS Employers said 400 visas for doctors to work in the UK had been refused since December, despite the staffing crisis in hospitals. |
| And 35 NHS trusts 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 reported. | And 35 NHS trusts 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 reported. |
| Windrush case: UK to give Albert Thompson indefinite right to remain | Windrush case: UK to give Albert Thompson indefinite right to remain |
| 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 blocks be lifted. | 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 blocks be lifted. |
| 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.” |
| Employers who want to recruit from outside the EU have to apply for a tier two work permit, under which some listed types of doctors can enter the UK. The blocked doctors are not on this list. | Employers who want to recruit from outside the EU have to apply for a tier two work permit, under which some listed types of doctors can enter the UK. The blocked doctors are not on this list. |
| Dr Sanjay Arya, the medical director of the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS trust, said he feared patients could suffer. | Dr Sanjay Arya, the medical director of the Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh NHS trust, said he feared patients could suffer. |
| “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,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. | “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,” he told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme. |
| “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 were 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 were 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 hundreds of cases of blocked visas since December. | The chief executive of NHS Employers, Danny Mortimer, told the BBC he had heard of hundreds of cases of blocked visas since December. |
| 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.” | 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.” |
| The British Medical Association (BMA) said “arbitrary and outdated” limits on the number of overseas-born doctors permitted to work in the NHS were deepening an already serious staffing shortage and undermining care. | The British Medical Association (BMA) said “arbitrary and outdated” limits on the number of overseas-born doctors permitted to work in the NHS were deepening an already serious staffing shortage and undermining care. |
| “It’s inexplicable that, at a time when the NHS is struggling with filling positions, visa restrictions and arbitrary and outdated caps for non-EU workers entering the UK are preventing doctors, who are willing and able to work, from caring for patients,” said Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the chair of the BMA’s ruling council. | “It’s inexplicable that, at a time when the NHS is struggling with filling positions, visa restrictions and arbitrary and outdated caps for non-EU workers entering the UK are preventing doctors, who are willing and able to work, from caring for patients,” said Dr Chaand Nagpaul, the chair of the BMA’s ruling council. |
| “The NHS is reliant on the vital contribution of overseas doctors, often working in areas of medicine that are difficult to recruit to from the domestic workforce. Not having the right amount of doctors will inevitably threaten patient care and safety. | “The NHS is reliant on the vital contribution of overseas doctors, often working in areas of medicine that are difficult to recruit to from the domestic workforce. Not having the right amount of doctors will inevitably threaten patient care and safety. |
| “The BMA is calling for the tier two cap to be urgently reviewed, as it is crucial that the UK has a flexible immigration system which allows the NHS to recruit the necessary staff to deliver safe, high-quality care.” | “The BMA is calling for the tier two cap to be urgently reviewed, as it is crucial that the UK has a flexible immigration system which allows the NHS to recruit the necessary staff to deliver safe, high-quality care.” |
| 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. | 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. |
| “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. | “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. | 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 two (general) places, priority is given to applicants filling a shortage or PhD-level occupations. | In a statement he said: “When demand exceeds the monthly available allocation of tier two (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 two places go to the NHS.” | “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 two places go to the NHS.” |
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