Fifty-five thousand of the 1.2 million staff in the English NHS are citizens of other EU countries, according to figures (pdf) by the Health and Social Care Information Centre. They fulfil a range of vital roles including doctors, nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, support workers and administrative staff.
And according to the Nuffield Trust, 10% of doctors and 4% of nurses are from the EU. NHS staff from the European Economic Area (EU countries plus Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein) and Switzerland make up a significant proportion of the UK’s medical workforce. The UK is one of the developed countries that relies most on importing doctors trained abroad (pdf).
On 23 June, the British people voted to leave the European Union after a historic referendum in which they rejected the advice of the main Westminster party leaders and instead took a plunge into the political unknown.
We want to know what the future looks like for EU migrants working in the NHS. If you came here from Europe, do you now feel less welcome? Are you concerned about your future in the NHS, or optimistic despite the result?
We’d also like to hear from British healthcare workers and those from countries outside the EU about the contribution that people from Europe make. What do you think the result will mean for the NHS?
Share your views and experiences, anonymously if you wish, by filling in the form below. We will use a selection in our reporting.
