Over 10,000 EU nationals leave NHS since referendum

More than 10,000 EU nationals have left the NHS since the Brexit referendum in 2016, including almost 5,000 nurses.

The new figures are likely to add fuel to concerns about a wider staffing crisis, with data released under the Freedom of Information Act showing that more than 3,250 EU staff have left the NHS so far this year. This year alone, 1,116 EU nurses have left. The figures are from less than half England’s trusts and cover only 10 months, so the actual figure is likely to be higher. 

Compiled by the Liberal Democrats, the data shows that 11,600 EU staff have left since the Brexit vote, including 4,783 nurses. The number of EU leavers increased by 23 per cent from 3,504 in 2015 to 4,335 in 2017, with the number of EU staff leaving levelled slightly to 4,013 in 2018, but still up 14 per cent on 2015.

The figures follow recent figures from the Nursing and Midwifery Council showing that the number of nurses arriving from the EU dropped by 87 per cent from 6,382 in 2016-17 to 805 in 2017-18.

The Lib Dems also accuse the Tories of planning to introduce a 'nurse tax' after Brexit by imposing visa and NHS surcharge fees on health professionals from the EU, who do not currently pay any fees if they work in the NHS.

Luciana Berger, the Lib Dem’s health spokeswoman, said: “These damning documents reveal the major threat Brexit poses to our NHS, including in Boris Johnson’s own backyard where EU staff are worried about their future here. The Conservatives’ treatment of nurses and doctors from the EU has been utterly shameful. Now the Tories want to clobber them with a nurse tax worth thousands of pounds to come and work in the NHS. This will make the severe staff shortages faced by the NHS even worse and patient care will suffer.”