The proportion of non-British nationals in the NHS workforce has risen sharply. The proportion of NHS roles in the UK, that are filled by non-British nationals, has increased rapidly. New analysis shows that one in five of the workforce is non-British, a milestone achieved for the first time.
Three in 10 nurses and more than a third of doctors are now non-British citizens, an increase in recent years. Health chiefs have said the figures reflect how the NHS relies on its talented international workforce to cope under pressures such as rising demand and strike action but warned that overseas recruitment cannot fill the vacancies forever.
Three years ago in September 2020, the figure was almost twofold (19.7 percent) and the highest ratio since the current data began in 2009. The most common non-British nationality is Indian, accounting for 10.1 percent of all FTE nurses and health visitors, followed by Filipinos (7.7 percent), Nigerians (2.5 percent), and Irish (1.1 percent).
The proportion of hospital and community health service doctors who are non-UK nationals has also risen sharply, now accounting for more than a third (36.3 percent of 136,265 staff), almost three in 10. . 30.1 percent in 2020) and only a quarter (26.6 percent) in 2016.
Of the total 1,282,623 FTE hospital and community health service staff in England in September 2023 whose nationality was known, 20.4 percent, almost one in five, were non-British nationals, according to PA analysis. This is higher than 13.0 percent in September 2016 and 11.9 percent in September 2009.
Danny Mortimer, chief executive of the NHS Employers’ Organisation, said the analysis shows how reliant the NHS has become on its talented international workforce and that health services with such staff can more easily cope with this pressure, including The increased demand, the pandemic, and the strike action, has been thrown at it.
He added that the NHS teams are extremely appreciative of their overseas colleagues for their support and partnership but there is no room for complacency as we are always looking for international candidates to fill NHS vacancies.
Will not be able to continue recruitment. We also need to increase the number of staff we train, so it is important to maintain the continued expansion of training and education, which is set out in NHS England’s long-term workforce plan.
Of country workers who join the UK nursing and midwifery workforce, almost two (38%) leave the long-term workforce within five years of joining the professional register in the latest year of data.
The UK’s plan suggests a greater focus on increasing domestic training and increasing the number of domestically trained graduates working in the NHS, but these plans will only work if we reduce the number of people leaving training and attract more graduates to choose from.
The Workforce e-Plan, published in 2023, sets out measures to recruit thousands more staff for the NHS in England over 15 years, with a possible 60,000 extra doctors and 170,000 more by 2036/37. Nurses will be available. Alex Bellis, assistant director of policy at the health charity The King’s Fund, said there are currently more than 120,000 vacancies in the NHS in England, including 42,000 nursing posts and around 9,000 medical posts.
