Is Brexit affecting the NHS workforce in Bristol?

They have long been recognised as the lifeblood of many NHS teams across the country – but Brexit has thrown front line workers from EU countries into a state of flux.

As negotiations over Britain’s divorce from Europe rumble on, figures obtained by the BBC reveal that the proportion of EU nationals leaving the public health system is increasing nationwide, while the proportion joining is on the decline.

Bristol is yet to feel the full affects of this shift, but hospital trusts admit that concerns remain among employees who fear for their future career prospects in the post-Brexit era.

Meanwhile, the British Medical Association has warned the NHS is already at breaking point and wouldn’t cope without the 60,000 EU nationals working within its ranks.

North Bristol NHS Trust employs 629 non-British EU staff, representing 7.5 per cent of the permanent and fixed-term contract workforce.

The trust denies that recruitment from other countries has slowed, but analysis of NHS figures indicates that EU nationals made up a higher proportion of those leaving in 2016/17 (almost ten per cent) than in 2014/15 (six per cent).

Director of nursing and quality for North Bristol NHS Trust Sue Jones said:  “EU health workers are a valued part of our workforce and in recent years we have enjoyed a great community of Spanish nurses in the city.

“The trust’s workforce committee is regularly monitoring the potential impact of the current climate on the recruitment of EU nationals.

“To date, we are maintaining our numbers of EU nationals in the workforce with some turnover, however we are mindful that some of our staff have concerns about Brexit and their long-term future.”

The University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust paints a similar picture. A spokesperson said: “Staff who make up our workforce come from across the globe, all of whom we value and aim to support with matters that concern them, including the referendum.

“Although numbers of EU nationals in our workforce remain constant, we are vigilant about the potential impact of Brexit and the advice we give staff.”

Hundreds marched through Bristol in May 2017 to fight for the NHS

Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust has not felt any adverse fallout from the EU referendum, but admitted there are problems around recruitment and retention of staff.

The apparent trend that sees the proportion of EU nationals among the NHS workforce gradually declining is blamed on a number of factors, including job security fears, the drop in value of the pound and a change in language requirements for EU nurses.

However, the Department for Health has stressed that in numbers terms, there are more EU nationals in the NHS that at the time of the EU referendum.

A spokeswoman said: “We have been absolutely clear that these staff play a vital role in the NHS and want to see their excellent work continue long after the UK leaves the EU.

“However, we recognise the NHS also needs more home-grown staff, so we’ll be training we’ll be training an extra 1,500 doctors and 10,000 nurses, midwives and allied health professionals a year by 2020 to ensure the NHS has the workforce it needs both now and in the future.”

While Bristol is retaining its valuable workforce of EU nationals in its hospitals for the moment, uncertainty reigns and industry experts have stressed the need for trusts to be able to offer long-term security to their staff.

Danny Mortimer is the co-convenor of the Cavendish Coalition, a group of health and social care organisations which have come together to ensure NHS staffing needs are met after Brexit.

“What our data shows is that the demand for healthcare staff is increasing, it’s on an upwards trajectory,” he said.

“It’s a stated aim of the Government to move towards self-sufficiency in the service, but in the short and medium terms we do not believe we can be self-sufficient.

“We don’t yet know if this [outflow of EU workers] is a continuing trend. We’re doing everything we can to reassure people.

“We’re very nervous of not being able to give people certainty, who might be applying for a job. Being able to do that would enable us to make decisions about recruitment.

“We’re hopeful we can provide certainty for EU nationals and employers sooner rather than later. The longer-term migration policy we set has to take proper account of the social value of work.”

Main image: Southmead Hospital.

Read more: ‘I worry that the EU will become unreachable for young people like me’