Question to the Home Office:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are making special provision for visas to the UK for Afghan doctors and nurses who wish to be evacuated, to help address the NHS staffing gap in the UK.

The Government responded swiftly to the fast-moving and challenging events in Afghanistan, including supporting the largest and fastest evacuation in recent history. We can be proud as a country we helped over 15,000 people to safety from Afghanistan in August 2021 and we continue to do all we can to enable those who are eligible to relocate to the UK through the Afghan Relocation and Assistance Policy and Afghan Citizens Resettlement Scheme.

The Department of Health and Social Care is also working with DWP to develop pathways to support Afghans who are already in the UK to access roles in the health and social care sector.

On the issue of NHS staffing gaps, the Government has done a number of things to ensure the NHS has suitable resources. We are on schedule to deliver 50,000 more nurses by the end of this Parliament to deliver a sustainable long term workforce supply. With the National Health Service and Health Education England, we have established a programme to improve retention and support return to practice, invest in and diversify training and increase ethical and sustainable international recruitment. We have also made £2 billion made available in 2021/22 and a further £8 billion from 2022 to 2025 to increase activity, tackle backlogs in elective care and reduce waiting times for patients.

In August 2020, the Government launched the Health and Care Visa which provides for fast-track entry, reduced application fees and dedicated support. Health and Care Visa applicants are also exempt from paying the Immigration Health Surcharge. These benefits also extend to Health and Care Visa applicants dependents.