Chair of the Council of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, Jeanette Dickson, has warned of a collapse of the UK healthcare system due to the spread of racism against foreigners, noting that record numbers of foreign-born doctors are leaving the country, while many others prefer not to come to the UK because of racism.
According to Dickson, the healthcare sector is facing a crisis driven by racism, as foreign healthcare workers view the UK as “an unwelcoming country” due to the sharp rise in anti-foreigner political discourse and the spread of discrimination against foreign doctors and nurses. She also stressed the importance of foreign-born medical staff to the UK healthcare system, warning that the country risks losing a large number of the personnel needed to run the service efficiently.
According to the UK’s General Medical Council (GMC), doctors who qualified abroad account for 42% of the medical workforce in the UK, indicating that healthcare services rely heavily on overseas professionals. Since leaving the European Union, the UK has halted the recruitment of foreign doctors, a move that has led to a severe shortage of overseas nurses and midwives.
Dickson sharply criticized anti-immigrant political rhetoric and negative media coverage, and strongly condemned the government’s decision to prioritize graduates of British medical schools, noting that it has deterred foreign doctors from coming to the UK. “I feel we are creating a culture dominated by the narrative that foreigners are bad,” Dickson said. She also spoke of a rise in cases of nurses being subjected to prolonged racist abuse.
Dickson also called for drawing on the successful experiences of countries such as Canada, New Zealand, and Turkey in attracting foreign doctors, and warned of the significant societal costs of xenophobia.
The Department of Health and Social Care warned against the abuse of healthcare workers, with Health Secretary Wes Streeting stating that access to free healthcare does not give citizens “the right to abuse our staff under any circumstances.”
