Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to ensure the retention of doctors who work in the NHS, and (2) for recruiting more overseas doctors, after the UK leaves the EU.

The Department continues to monitor and analyse overall staffing levels across the National Health Service and is working across Government to ensure that there will continue to be sufficient staff to deliver the high quality services that patients rely on following the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.

The Government hugely values the contribution of the 12,000 EU27 doctors working in the NHS. The Prime Minister has publicly reassured all EU citizens who have chosen to make their homes and livelihoods in the UK, that she wants them to stay. Furthermore, the agreement announced on the 8 December between the UK and the EU Commission delivered on the Prime Minister’s number one priority and safeguarded the rights of people who have built their lives in the UK and EU, following the UK’s exit from the EU. In addition, NHS Improvement is leading a programme of work to improve staff retention in trusts across England and bring down the leaver rates in the NHS by 2020.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the NHS is able to meet future demand and this is why from September 2019, the Government will fund up to 1,500 additional medical training places in England each year. This is in addition to the 6,000 medical school places currently available in England.

The Department has also submitted evidence to the Migration Advisory Committee to ensure the position of staff in health and social care is fully understood and taken into account as part of their evidence gathering into the impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on the UK labour market.

We will continue to engage with the Home Office to secure a future migration system which gives the health and care system the flexibility to meet future and growing demand.