Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports by the BBC on 10 October that doctors are being recruited illegally from Africa by private sector companies to work in the UK; and that such doctors are expected to work in private hospitals under conditions not allowed in the NHS.

No specific assessment has been made. All United Kingdom-based organisations recruiting and employing international doctors should follow the Code of Practice on Ethical International Recruitment. The Code includes a ‘red-list’ of countries from which health and care workers should not be actively recruited.

National Health Service organisations only use recruiters on the Ethical Recruiters List and breaching the Code may result in removal from the Ethical Recruiters List. All employers must abide by the legislation regarding workers’ rights in the UK.