Key Summary
- The government plans to hire only one in ten NHS recruits from overseas
- In 2022, 63 per cent of doctors who joined the medical register were qualified overseas
- Work coaches will be stationed in GP surgeries to encourage sick patients to return to work
As the Keir Starmer government tries to fix the country's healthcare system, it will aim to hire more British doctors to make the service 'self-sufficient'.
The government is due to come out with a ten-year health plan this week, and it includes hiring no more than one in ten NHS recruits from overseas, The Times reports.
At present, nearly two-thirds of new doctors in the NHS come from overseas, hailing from 168 countries including India, Egypt, Ireland, Nigeria, and Pakistan.
According to the General Medical Council, 63 per cent of doctors who joined the medical register in 2022 were qualified overseas.
Another major focus will be on helping patients return to work during their treatment, as part of a wider effort to reduce welfare spending.
Doctors will also be directed to prioritise helping patients return to work, as part of a wider effort to reduce welfare spending.
Work coaches will be stationed in GP surgeries, while NHS bosses will also be given targets to help sick patients return to work, The Times added.
Health secretary Wes Streeting had earlier admitted that the NHS was a bad employer, but urged medics not to go on strike.
The resident doctors are being balloted for strike action as the unions are unhappy over the government’s latest pay offer of a 4 per cent pay hike for most doctors.
He said industrial action should be the last resort, as it would nullify the progress made on reducing waiting lists.
The plan also aims to create a “neighbourhood health service” and encourage hospitals to employ staff from their local areas, the daily added.
