Immigrant-focused government actions may lead to a significant departures of nurses, as a union issues a foreboding statement.
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Are you ready for a shakeup in the UK's healthcare sector? Thousands of migrant nursing staff are contemplating to bid adieu to the UK due to a fresh crackdown on immigration, warning of a potential exodus according to a union.
A poll by the Royal College of Nurses (RCN) of 3,000 international nurses found that nearly 42% of those who have received their education outside the UK are planning to abandon the country. The majority of those intending to leave cited pay issues (70%) and immigration policies (40%) as the primary reasons for their decision.
Strikingly, two-thirds of those intending to move elsewhere plan to head somewhere other than their home countries.
This comes hot on the heels of Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer outlining a series of measures last Monday to control the streams of people entering the UK, which included ending care worker visas for overseas recruitment and stricter tests for foreign students.
Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive, criticized the government's actions, stating, "Our report shows thousands of migrant nursing staff are ready to leave the UK. This situation is bad enough, but the government's harsh measures could potentially wreak havoc on crucial services."
She added, "Closing the care worker visa route and making migrant nursing staff wait longer for vital benefits is the hostile environment on steroids. They pay taxes and work in vital services; they deserve the same rights."
One nurse from the Philippines lamented, "I love living in the UK. I love the people. I love my job and my department. But it's too draining to defend this country when it's not reciprocating the care and support that we immigrants deserve."
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- Migrant Crisis
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The RCN report highlights a Philippines nurse, who said, "I love living in the UK. I love the people. I love my job and my department. But somehow, it's too exhausting to defend this country when it's not returning the care and support that we as immigrants deserve."
Meanwhile, a government spokesperson argued, "It is a strength of our National Health Service that people come from around the world to care for our sick, and we must acknowledge the valuable contribution they make. However, when we are recruiting from countries on the WHO red list, it is clear that we need to end our over-reliance on international recruitment and retain more homegrown talent."
While these measures may increase the emphasis on domestic training, they could lead to immediate staffing challenges as the sector grapples with these changes. However, the long-term outlook could be more promising as investment in homegrown training might reduce the need for migrant workers eventually.
References:
- Presented government's take on immigration reforms: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/immigration-white-paper-secures-fair-and-skilled-migrant-system-for-the-uk
- Contained data regarding salary increase for skilled worker visa: https://www.hft.org.uk/news/raises-to-minimum-wage-skin-inflation/
- Mentioned the scrapping of the immigration salary list: https://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/commons-select/home-affairs-committee/news/immigration-white-paper-report/
- Detailed the difficulties in obtaining skilled work visas: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-immigration-rules-to-open-up-higher-skilled-jobs-to-talented-people-across-the-world
- Examined the impact on skilled workers seeking high-level jobs: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-points-based-immigration-system-to-begin-in-2021
- Examined the implications of the new rules for the healthcare profession: https://www.theguardian.com/society/2020/dec/19/new-immigration-rules-mean-nurses-and-doctors-fear-vacancies-at-critical-point
- Examined the government plan to double the period for settlement in points-based system routes: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/immigration-white-paper-secures-fair-and-skilled-migrant-system-for-the-uk
- The RCN report, highlighting a nurse from the Philippines, expresses concerns about the mental health of migrant nursing staff in the UK, as they feel exhausted from defending the country without receiving the care and support they deserve.
- The Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer, has faced criticism from Professor Nicola Ranger, the RCN general secretary, over his immigration policies, which she believes could potentially harm crucial services by driving away thousands of migrant nursing staff.
- The issue of migrant nursing staff leaving the UK due to pay issues and stricter immigration policies is a pressing matter in the policy-and-legislation and general-news sectors, with potential implications for workplace-wellness and health-and-wellness, particularly within the healthcare sector.
- Amidst the migrant crisis and the Prime Minister's efforts to control immigration, the UK's policy on migrant nursing staff and care workers could have significant long-term impacts on the science (specifically, medical and healthcare) sector, as the country may need to invest more in homegrown training to ensure adequate staffing.
