Business Immigration Article
28 July, 2022
The Health and Social Care Select Committee published a damning report on 25th of July 2022. The Workforce: recruitment, training and retention report outlines the scale of the workforce crisis that is facing the NHS in England. New research outlines the scale of the crisis:
Rt Hon Jeremy Hunt, the chair of the Health and Social Care Committee said: "Persistent understaffing in the NHS poses a serious risk to staff and patient safety, a situation compounded by the absence of a long-term plan by the government to tackle it." He went on further to state: "We now face the greatest workforce crisis in history in the NHS and social care with still no idea of the number of additional doctors, nurses and other professionals we need."
The changes were made on 15 February, lasting for a period of 12 months, enabling overseas medical professionals to work in the UK for the NHS, an NHS supplier or within the adult social care sector. Those eligible included qualified doctors, nurses, health professionals, adult social care professionals, social care workers, health care assistants; and home care workers
Overall, this decision is welcomed by those in the healthcare sector. In theory, these changes will allow UK employers to fill labour shortage gaps in a cheaper, easier and expedited manner. However, there are questions regarding whether the Government has gone far enough with this recent initiative. Especially given the temporary nature of the changes, and whether this will generate a lasting positive impact is yet to be seen.
Clearly, this latest report indicates that despite the various changes the Government has made to its recruitment efforts, they have fallen short of the mark. If you are in the health and social care sector, it is important to be aware of these recent changes when utilising the Health and Social Care Visa and consider whether it is still a viable option for recruitment.
At Forbes we can support employers in obtaining a sponsor licence and manage the visa application process on your behalf. Contact Amy Stokes, Head of Business Immigration for further information.
Alternatively, contact Harry Hazelwood in our Employment & HR department.
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