Health Care Professionals: Recruitment

Andrew George
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many agencies are registered on the NHS employers list; and which have signed up to the Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals.

Ms Rosie Winterton
NHS Employers report that there are currently 317 commercial recruitment agencies registered as compliant with the Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals.

Andrew George
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of nurses employed in the NHS (a) trained in and (b) were the nationals of developing countries before coming to the UK in each of the last five years.

Ms Rosie Winterton
The information requested is not collected centrally.

Andrew George
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment she has made of the effect of the Code of Practice for International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals on the capacity of health systems of developing countries.

Ms Rosie Winterton
The Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of International Healthcare Professionals includes a list of countries from which there should be no active recruitment. An indication of the effectiveness of the Code of Practice can be seen in data published by the Nursing and Midwifery Council which show that in 2004-05 there was a decrease in the number of new registrants who trained in sub-Saharan Africa. This has continued in 2005-06.

Lord Crisp is undertaking a review for the Prime Minister, the Department of Health and the Department for International Development on how the United Kingdom’s experience and expertise in delivering health services can be used to support the health systems of developing countries.

Andrew George
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how the announcement made by the Home Office on restrictions on migrant nurses to the UK will affect the (a) operation and (b) monitoring of the Code of Practice for International Recruitment of Healthcare Professionals.

Ms Rosie Winterton
The removal of nursing posts at agenda for change bands 5 or 6 from the Home Office’s shortage occupation list will have no effect on the operation or monitoring of the Code of Practice.