Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether refugee doctors who are not yet fully registered with the General Medical Council are able to work in the NHS as medical assistants; and if so, (1) what pay grade they are placed on, and (2) whether they are afforded full indemnity, including full vicarious liability indemnity and death in service compensation.

The local employing organisation will decide if refugee doctors who are not registered with the General Medical Council are able to work in the National Health Service. All providers of Care Quality Commission-regulated activity have a duty to ensure that their staff have the skills, knowledge and experience for the work undertaken.

A temporary Medical Support Worker job description has been developed in collaboration with the Chief Medical Officer’s office, designed for doctors who are not registered with the General Medical Council. The NHS Job Evaluation Scheme, which helps to ensure staff receive equal pay for work of equal value, has evaluated this job as band 6, meaning a basic salary of £31,365 to £37,890. Enhancements may also be paid for working unsocial hours.

Indemnity for individuals employed or engaged to work for an NHS trust will be covered by the Clinical Negligence Scheme for Trusts and if they are engaged by a general practitioner (GP) practice providing NHS GP services, they will be covered by the Clinical Negligence Scheme for General Practice. To ensure there are no gaps in indemnity coverage for NHS staff, the Coronavirus Act 2020 provides additional powers to provide clinical negligence indemnity for NHS activities related to the COVID-19 outbreak, where there is no other indemnity arrangement in place. Information about death in service compensation is yet to be confirmed.