NHS Employers responds to Home Secretary’s announcement on immigration reforms

Responding to the Home Secretary’s announcement on immigration reforms, Ben Morrin, chief executive of NHS Employers, said:

“NHS Employers are pleased with today's announcement which sees over 10,000 current NHS healthcare support workers, working alongside nurses, midwives, physiotherapists and doctors, treated the same as their colleagues in terms of the immigration rules.

“This year alongside trade unions, we've highlighted the unfair impact the government's initial proposals would have for the staff who provide fundamental care to hundreds of thousands of patients every day.

“The Home Secretary has replaced her former policy which would have meant that care workers already in the NHS and social care would have needed to wait 15 years before getting indefinite leave to remain.

“As long as they arrived in the UK before May 2025, they will now have the right to remain after five years.

“The NHS fully supports a managed migration system with robust enforcement of fair rules. No one should be subjected to exploitative employment practice. Neither should the immigration rules change after you've signed up.

“These are valued healthcare workers in essential patient-facing roles, caring for patients every day and supporting clinical teams. They have also put down roots and built their lives in communities across the country.

"While we expect more care assistant roles to now be filled through local recruitment, treating valued staff who are already here fairly is vital to the NHS.

“High-quality patient care relies on the contribution of the whole NHS team, including those in support roles. The decision confirmed today will help NHS employers and staff continue to deliver high-quality patient care.”