THE government has charged NHS trusts more than £15 million over the past three years for hiring overseas specialists, it was revealed today.
52 of 224 NHS hospital trusts in England have paid more than £15.5m through the surcharge since 2017, according to responses to Freedom of Information requests made by the Labour Party.
Trusts that cannot find specialists in Britain, which is plagued by domestic skills shortages, will often look overseas to hire a qualified candidate – but have to pay a surcharge when they do so.
In the second part of her critique of Wes Streeting’s TenYear Plan for Health, HELEN MERCER looks at the central planks of this privatisation blueprint
The visa system traps workers with abusive employers, creating a vulnerable workforce scared to complain for fear of deportation — that is why we’re campaigning for a ‘common sponsorship’ model instead, writes FAVOUR DAVIDKING


