One in five new NHS hospital doctors in Portsmouth come from developing countries where recruitment drives are banned

Figures have been released about overseas recruitment at QA Picture: PA

Of the 142 new doctors who joined the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust in the 12 months to January, 28 gained their medical qualifications in countries on the restricted list, according to NHS Digital.

The policy is intended to prevent valuable medical staff being poached from their home nations, which are often in receipt of foreign aid and may have a shortage of medics.

It does not prevent trusts from considering applications on an individual basis, as long as they are not directly targeted in recruitment drives.

Nicole Cornelius, director of workforce and organisational development at Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust explained: ‘The NHS Jobs website is available in all countries, allowing applicants from around the world to apply for jobs at the Trust.

‘While recruiting managers are unable to see the nationality of individuals to ensure a fair and equitable recruitment process, we have not actively undertaken recruitment campaigns for medical staff overseas and do not recruit medical staff from developing countries.

‘We do, however, run a Medical Training Initiative scheme that supports overseas medics joining the Trust on a training scheme, to build on their existing skills before returning to their home country to utilise the skills learned. This is a mutually beneficial scheme to both the UK and their home state and is something we are proud to support.’

On the list, Pakistan provided the most doctors at the Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust, with seven training there.

This was followed by Nigeria, with six doctors.

Ms Cornelius added: ‘Patient safety is our absolute priority and we adhere fully to the NHS Employers Code of Practice for international recruitment.

‘We are proud to recruit staff from more than 27 countries around the world.’

Across England, the number of doctors recruited from listed countries has been steadily rising. In 2015/16, there were 2,192 recruits – 13 per cent of doctors hired that year.

By 2018/19, this had risen to 3,686, 19 per cent of the total.