A GLA report into the impact of skills and salary threshold-based migration policies identified health and social care managers, nursing and midwifery staff, and personal caring staff as groups of high public service value that would face difficulties adjusting to more stringent migration systems. Health professionals more broadly face these problems as well as having a high recent reliance on EEA workers. What discussions have you had about improving recruitment and retention for these groups of workers?

London has a higher proportion of EEA and overseas NHS and social care staff than the rest of the country. I have consistently called on government to deliver an immigration system that works for London and will continue to do so.

I have raised NHS and care workforce issues with Sir David Sloman, Regional Director NHS London including the potential impacts from Brexit and future immigration policy. Sir David has assured me that the workforce is a top priority and it has been identified as a key enabler in our health and care partnership Vision. Initiatives such as Capital Nurse, led by Health Education England (HEE) promote health and care recruitment and retention through training and workforce development. HEE also supports London’s NHS trusts and health and care partnerships to develop local workforce strategies. My Skills and Employment team is conducting research into how the health and social care sector supports higher level skills progression, including how this could be improved to support workforce development.