In recent months, UK healthcare visa applications have dropped, coinciding with protests by medical staff in the UK against poor working conditions and low salaries. This decline has raised concerns among British health authorities, as a sudden increase in the number of foreign nurses leaving the UK for new positions exacerbates the problem of 40,000 vacant nurse positions. The British healthcare system, heavily dependent on labour from abroad, is feeling the strain. This article explores the reasons behind the drop in UK healthcare visa applications.
The drop in UK healthcare visa applications
Like all nurses, international nurses have the right to choose to work in countries that value their expertise more. The drop in UK healthcare visa applications caused the British job market to lose appeal. On average, about 9,000 nurses born outside the European Union leave the UK every year. After leaving the UK, they work in another country. According to statistics, the total number of nurses in the UK who migrate to other countries has doubled between 2022 and 2023. The immigration statistics of nurses have reached a record of 12,400 people. This number has increased four times compared to the year before the Covid-19 epidemic.
Britain’s low attractiveness for foreign nurses
Due to poor working conditions, we are witnessing a drop in UK healthcare visa applications. Nursing wages in the UK are the lowest among the 35 Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development countries. Most of those leaving the UK go to the US, New Zealand, or Australia. These are the countries where nurses are paid much more than in the UK. According to research by the Health Foundation, many of these nurses had worked in the UK for up to three years. Experts say that the NHS gives average salaries to nurses. Therefore, it is less attractive for the treatment staff in competition with other countries.
The low income of nurses in the UK healthcare system
Last year, 12,400 nurses working in the UK applied for the Certificate of Current Professional Status (CCPS). The Health Foundation’s report shows this issue. This certificate is usually required when the nurse wants to move to work in another country. A nurse in the UK earns an average of $46,000 in the UK. Meanwhile, the average salary of a nurse in New Zealand is $57,000, in Australia $71,000, and in the United States $85,000.
The inability of the medical system to compete with other countries
America changed its visa policy following the Covid-19 pandemic. After that, the number of foreign nurses who went there from Britain increased ten times. Professor Pat Cullen, General Secretary and Chief Executive of the Royal College of Nursing, expressed concern about the workforce shortage: “The health and care system, across the whole of the UK, is sailing dangerously close to the wind right now. It is brutally unfair on your patients, and the conditions feel intolerable to too many nurses and nursing support workers.”
Increasing the issuance of visas for foreign medical staff
The UK almost doubled the number of visas issued to foreign medical staff in 2023. According to official statistics, Britain issued 337,240 work visas in 2023, 26% more than in 2022. These statistics show that this rate change was due to a 91% increase in visas for foreign medical staff in 2023. Out of 146,477 visas issued for people working in the healthcare field, a little more than 60% of them were for people working in the field of personal care.
Dependence of the British treatment system on foreign labour
The UK has eased visa requirements for foreign healthcare workers from February 2022 to fill more than 150,000 aged care vacancies. However, charities have warned that such reliance on foreign labour increases the risk of abuse. They believe the government can help attract local workers in this field by raising wages.
Increasing political pressure on Rishi Sunak
An increase in the issuance of visas for foreign medical staff can put more pressure on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak. He promised to reduce the rate of net immigration. Sunak’s government tightened visa rules to reduce the rate of immigration to the UK. This decision was criticized by employers and trade unions. They think that caring for people needs to be more staffed.
An alarming increase in the number of medical staff leaving the NHS
The public health sector in the UK is in crisis. The managers of the NHS warn that the process of leaving doctors and dentists from this organization has reached an alarming level. By 2028, 40% of doctors and dentists will leave this organization. The increased job duties and the long queue of patients waiting for treatment have led to fatigue and burnout of human resources. The Medical Defence Union (MDU) has announced this issue.
Increasing job pressure on doctors due to labour shortage
The MDU legally defends about 200,000 doctors, dentists, and other healthcare workers in England. The association warns that work pressure also complicates relationships between doctors and patients. Following a survey of 800 doctors and dentists by the MDU, 40% of people are thinking of resigning or retiring in the next five years. Previously, it was announced that 133,000 job opportunities in the NHS remained vacant.
Sunak’s inability to solve the problem of the British treatment system
The drop in UK healthcare visa applications has led to a labour shortage crisis in the NHS. The directors of the NHS say that the MPs should wake up the government ministers. They should be able to persuade the thousands of disgruntled employees in the organization not to leave the NHS. The Sunak government has announced that it intends to improve health and treatment in the UK. Meanwhile, health workers have been protesting for months. They are alive in chain strikes in protest of working conditions and wages and lack of personnel and facilities. They have emphasized that they will continue their strikes intermittently until their demands are fulfilled.
Increasing job pressure on doctors due to labour shortage
The MDU legally defends about 200,000 doctors, dentists, and other healthcare workers in England. The association warns that work pressure also complicates relationships between doctors and patients. Following a survey of 800 doctors and dentists by the MDU, 40% of people are thinking of resigning or retiring in the next five years. Previously, it was announced that 133,000 job opportunities in the NHS remained vacant.
Sunak’s inability to solve the problem of the British treatment system
UK healthcare visa applications have dropped, leading to a labour shortage crisis in the NHS. NHS directors are urging MPs to wake the government ministers to address this issue. They need to persuade thousands of disgruntled employees to remain with the NHS. The Sunak government has announced intentions to improve healthcare in the UK. Meanwhile, health workers have been protesting for months, using rolling strikes to protest working conditions, wages, and the lack of personnel and facilities. They have emphasized that they will continue their strikes intermittently until their demands are met.
