PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
RECRUITMENT OF HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS FROM DEVELOPING COUNTRIES (16 May 2005)

That this House is concerned that recent research funded by Save the Children shows that doctors and nurses are emigrating from the developing world to fill vacancies in the NHS due to the UK's shortage of skilled health professionals; notes that UK health worker permit initial application approvals have risen in each of the last four years; further notes that figures taken from the register of the General Medical Council show that two thirds of entrants in 2004 were from overseas; believes that the international traffic in healthcare workers is contributing to the collapse of health systems in sub-Saharan Africa; is concerned that the Government's Code of Practice on ethical recruitment from developing countries has not been signed up to by all the agencies used by the NHS to recruit nurses from overseas; calls on the Government to play its full part in promoting ethical recruitment and sustainable development by banning the NHS from using recruiting agencies which have not signed up to its own Code of Practice; and believes that the Government should do more to improve recruitment and retention of nurses from the United Kingdom.

Sponsored by:
Lord Lansley (Conservative)