Two in five international health workers are considering leaving the UK, with many citing feelings of not being welcome amid anti-immigrant rhetoric.
The union Unison warns that government proposals to tighten settlement rules for migrant workers, coupled with escalating visa fees and restrictions, threaten to deepen the ongoing NHS staffing crisis.
A Unison survey of nearly 1,900 international health professionals working in Britain found that 43 per cent are now considering departure, with a quarter feeling unwelcome and a fifth reporting they feel unsafe.
Respondents also expressed significant concerns about the instability caused by potential rule changes, making future planning difficult and creating an unsettling environment for their families.
The union’s head of health Helga Pile said: “The UK’s health and care services would collapse without the skilled workers who’ve come here from overseas. How we treat them matters – they should be respected, not taken advantage of and abused.
“It’s shocking so many NHS staff say they don’t feel safe or welcome in this country. No wonder so many are thinking of leaving.
“These findings make it clear ministers must think again about trebling the settlement period for crucial migrant health and care staff. Otherwise, the workforce crisis will get worse.
“Politicians of all stripes need to stop demonising people who are doing crucial work, often for very low pay. They’re the ones shoring up the UK’s crumbling health and care sectors. We simply cannot do without them.”
In December, it was revealed that international doctors and nurses are increasingly shunning the NHS, driven away by a "hostile environment" created by anti-migrant rhetoric, according to a stark warning from the leader of the UK’s medical bodies.
Jeanette Dickson, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, highlighted that the government’s immigration approach is fostering a growing perception of the UK as "unwelcoming" and "racist". This, she cautioned, is creating a significant risk for the nation's health service.
Ms Dickson, who leads the body representing the UK and Ireland’s 220,000 doctors, including GPs, surgeons and anaesthetists, told The Guardian: “My feeling is we are creating a culture where the rhetoric is ‘foreigner bad’.
“If you have never visited Britain and are looking at our media, the social media, press media, print media, what our politicians are reported as saying, I think that it’s not unreasonable to see that as a hostile environment.”
