The bosses of 35 NHS have accused the immigration authorities of putting patients at risk. 

Immigration rules are hampering the ability of the NHS to recruit doctors, health leaders are warning. Recently, visas for 100 Indian doctors were refused owing to visa cap by the Home Ministry for non-EU workers. The doctors had been recruited as part of a long-running scheme in the North West which supplies junior doctors to more than 30 NHS trusts. NHS bosses say increasing numbers of doctors are being refused permission, worsening rota gaps and the waits patients face for treatment. The NHS is already short of doctors, with a report from the regulator NHS Improvement warning one in 11 posts was vacant. In February, NHS Improvement said that there were 100,000 vacancies across England's 234 acute, ambulance and mental health trusts. 

 

Blocked visas due to non-EU worker cap 

Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, said he had heard of another 400 cases of blocked visas since December. "We have examples of clinics being cancelled and delays in terms of patients receiving care. It exacerbates pressures in what are relatively small medical teams.” It is unclear exactly why this has happened. There is evidence in the NHS that it is getting harder to recruit and retain EU staff, putting pressure on non-EU sources.The skilled worker cap applies to all sectors so the numbers the NHS can recruit is also influenced by other sectors from IT to banking. Nurses have been placed on the shortage occupation list, which means they are given a priority in international recruitment.

 

Home Ministry defends 

A Home Office spokeswoman said the system was in the "national interest".

She said any Tier 2 applications - as they are known - which are refused in oversubscribed months could reapply in future ones. And she added there were a range of specialities, including A&E and radiology, that were on the shortage occupation list too. 

Meanwhile, NHS leaders have written to Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt and Home Secretary Amber Rudd asking them to urgently look into the problem.