Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, what recent estimate he has made of the number of nationals of other EU countries working in the NHS as surgeons; what assessment he has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the number of such surgeons; and what assessment he has made of the potential effect on NHS productivity of that change in the number of surgeons.

NHS Digital publishes data on the nationality of staff working in the National Health Service in England. Nationality is self-reported within the NHS human resources and payroll system, the electronic staff record.

In November 2016, 1,191 medical staff in the surgical group in the specified grades below working in NHS trusts and clinical commissioning groups declared their nationality as other European Union nationals, excluding the United Kingdom.

This data refers to staff who are in the surgical group and have a grade of Consultant (including Directors of Public Health), Associate Specialist, Specialty Doctor or Staff Grade.

The November data is the most recent data available.

The potential effect on nationals and productivity of leaving the EU will be dependent on the outcome of negotiations. My Rt. hon. Friend the Prime Minister has been clear that she wants to protect the status of EU nationals already living here. It is the Government’s aim to get the best settlement for the UK in all areas including the healthcare system.