The departure of migrant workers from the NHS could have devastating consequences for health and social care services. Data from the Nuffield Trust reveals that almost a quarter of all staff working in hospitals and a fifth of all health and social care staff were born outside the UK.
NHS workforce born abroad make up a 19% (818,000) of all health and social care workers, with migrants making a vital contribution to hospitals, with this rising to 23% [324,000].
Half of all new health and social care workers in the last decade were from abroad. In the analysis, researchers from the Trust found that if the annual increase in health and care staff from the EU decrease by just half this could have catastrophic consequences for health and social care services.
The Nuffield Trust emphasizes the fact that the NHS has a history of failing to train and hire enough staff from the UK. There is no doubt the NHS will continue to rely on staff from abroad to provide care.
Full story in Nursing Notes, 4 December 2019