Brexit could hit number of surgeons working in NHS… leading to longer waiting times for patients

A LEADING doctor warned yesterday Brexit could hit the numbers of surgeons working in the NHS leading to longer waiting times for patients.

Ian Eardley, vice president of the Royal College of Surgeons, told peers one in five specialist surgeons trained in Europe before immigrating to the UK.

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He insisted if the “tap was turned off” it could create a “significant problem” in staffing in an already under pressure and short-staffed NHS.

Mr Eardley said 40 per cent of specialist surgeons working in England had trained overseas.

He revealed half of these had trained in Europe and in recent years there had been an increase in the number of European surgeons working in the NHS.

But he warned any dip in numbers could create serious issues for patients.

He told peers: “If that tap was to be turned off there could be potentially a significant problem certainly for surgery.”

In the same parliamentary committee Professor Jane Dacre, president of the Royal College of Physicians, told peers she was fearful of the impact of Brexit on NHS staffing levels.

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She said: “Up to 20 per cent of our workforce is from the European Union.

“We haven’t done the numbers yet because it is still up in the air, I think suffice to say, it is not good.”

Earlier this week the Department of Health’s most senior civil servant Chris Wormald told the Public Accounts Committee issues surrounding EU workers in the NHS was one of their main priorities.