Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps he is taking to increase the recruitment of doctors from overseas.

The Government recognises fully the contribution that international doctors working in the NHS make towards delivering the high quality compassionate care we all expect.

Health Education England, through its Global Engagement Directorate, is supporting recruitment from overseas into a number of priority professions, including clinical radiology and emergency medicine. In addition, NHS England is aiming to recruit at least 2,000 overseas general practitioners (GPs) into English general practice as part of its wider commitment to an extra 5,000 GPs compared to 2015.

The Department continues to work closely with the Home Office to ensure the United Kingdom’s immigration system works in the national interest, bringing in talent where we need it while keeping overall numbers under control.