The Association welcomes the government’s intention to implement the Migration Advisory Committee’s proposal to add all medical practitioners to the Shortage Occupation List
The Association welcomes the government’s intention to implement the Migration Advisory Committee’s proposal to add all medical practitioners to the Shortage Occupation List.
Ensuring that all medical practitioners are on the list is one of the ways to address current workforce shortages that are severely affecting the NHS although there is a risk that many of those moving to the UK could come from lower and middle income countries. While many will return home with additional skills, others could chose to remain in the UK which could negatively impact of provision of services within their own countries.
The current plans only address part of the problem. The whole multi-disciplinary team that are involved in patient care needs to be fully staffed and it is important that steps are also taken to address all workforce shortages.
The current plans only address part of the problem
Although improved policies around migration have an important role to play, more effective workforce planning is also essential to make sure we can meet growing demands.