• April 18, 2021

Thousands of GPs, consultants left NHS over last six years due to restrictions to bring elderly parents

LONDON April 19: Thousands of GPs and consultants have left the NHS over the last six years due to government restrictions on the number of adult dependent relative visas for elderly parents of NHS staff.

Medics have stated that the government are spending money to replace the lost doctors when billions of pounds are required in order to train their replacements. A Home Office review shows that 2,325 ADR applications were granted between April 2010 and March 2011, falling by 135 in 2014. There has been no publication of figures since 2016.

Association of Pakistani Physicians of Northern Europe (APPNE) and British Association of Physicians of Indian Origin (BAPIO) found that 91% of respondents had attempted to bring relatives to live with them, being left dejected, anxious, stressed and helpless. 85% claimed they considered returning to their home countries or relocating for more flexible regulations.

The BMA international committee chair, Dr Kitty Mohan has stated that “The NHS has suffered a shortfall of doctors for many, many years, with hospitals in England alone currently having around 7,000 medical vacancies. This historic workforce shortage means the health service does not have the capacity to guarantee it can safely meet the needs of all patients – something so keenly exposed during the pandemic, when all but the most urgent non-Covid services had to be suspended to cope with demand.

“Therefore, with a record backlog in the number of patients waiting for care, the last thing the NHS can afford right now is to lose more doctors. The thousands who have left the UK in recent years represent a huge loss of knowledge and expertise to the health service and its patients.

“While the reasons underpinning doctors’ decisions to move overseas are likely numerous and complex, the Government and employers must step up efforts to retain these skilled clinicians.

This includes making it as easy as possible for appropriately qualified overseas-born staff, to whom the NHS owes so much, to work and stay in the UK, and by removing bureaucratic, illogical and heartless barriers preventing them from giving their all to the health service.”

Leave a Reply