NHS jobs in north east of the UK under threat by changes to visa rules from 2016

December 14, 2015
The statistics revealed that around hundreds of NHS jobs can be under threat as the foreign staff face latest working restrictions. Health services in the North Eastern regions of the UK can be severely weakened by the visa regulations. Inspite of the shortage of staff, around 41 doctors and 259 nurses from the non-EU can be removed from their frontline services, and they can also lose their right to reside in the UK if they fall short to make around 35,000 pounds each year.

NHS jobs in north east of the UK under threat by changes to visa rules from 2016

Home Office visa changes will also put in danger the jobs of other 207 specialists in the fields like mental care and health work and the support staff within the regions like Northumbria, Newcastle, and Gateshead health trusts. 

According to Steph Edusel, chief executive, Healthwatch Newcastle, which monitors the standards of NHS, the changes would add to existing problems in providing the care. What is required is to make sure that the individuals are getting the finest possible care, and it depends on the number of foreign workers we had. If additional staff is removed than available in the local area, it would have a negative effect.

The latest income threshold for the non-EU employees would apply for the individuals who seek to reside in the UK after five years of work in the UK, and if they do not make enough, they would not be eligible for permanent residence. The changes to the UK Tier 2 visas would take effect from March 2016.

These visas are used for filling the gaps in the labour market of the UK, and there are fears that these gaps in the services of health might grow wider.

A commission report previous year has revealed that around 13% of the hospitals in the UK are not meeting the safety standards with sufficiency of the staffing levels is a main concern.

Junior doctors had protested the pressure which is being placed on the NHS staff for maintaining the seven day per week service with already stretched out employment force.

Mrs. Edusei thinks that the latest immigration regulations would dangerously strain the declining recourses. And would end up paying to agency staff which would be a big drain of resources.

The commission report had revealed scope for improvement all over the NHS care services. But the residential and nursing homes in the North East regions of the UK are threatened with the loss of employees, as many trained caretakers are among 507 jobs at risk from Home Office changes.

Employees from the non-EU nations would be exempted if their jobs are on the list of shortage occupations. There are less number of medical professions are listed in the list. Prior to this year’s election, statistics had revealed that more than 3,00,000 migrants have visited the UK.

This year, Royal College of Nurses had called for training of additional nursing professionals and the British Medical Association had highlighted the shortage in the GPs.

According to the Home Office spokesperson,  we have commissioned the advice on significantly minimizing the economic migration from non-EU countries. These changes would ensure that the businesses could lure the skilled migrants they require. But we want them to get better at hiring and training the UK workers first. The changes would be in place from 6th April 2016.

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