22% of doctors are nationals of non-EU countries
Turkish physicians at surprisingly low rate
The majority of NHS staff in England are British, but around 15% are not. Around 190,000 out of 1.35 million staff report a non-British nationality. This is 14.6% of all staff for whom a nationality is known, or one in seven(1).
Between them, these staff hold over 200 different nationalities. Over 70,000 are EU nationals – 5.4% of NHS staff in England. Over 75,000 (5.8%) report an Asian nationality. This data is correct at March 2021.
The NHS records self-reported nationality, which may sometimes reflect a person’s cultural heritage rather than their citizenship or country of birth, and isn’t necessarily a measure of immigration. For 3% of NHS workers, nationality is unknown. The percentages here exclude staff whose nationality is unknown. This data doesn’t cover those working in social care or in the independent sector, or staff not directly employed by the NHS.
8.7% of doctors and 5.6% of nurses are EU nationals
EU nationals make up 8.7% of doctors in England’s hospital and community health services. They also make up 5.6% of all nurses and 5.8% of scientific, therapeutic and technical staff. The percentage of doctors and nurses with EU nationality grew between 2009 and 2016. Since 2016, those percentages have fallen.
According to the 2021 NHS reports, when we look at Eastern European and Middle Eastern countries, it is seen that many healthcare professionals from Romania (5251), Greece (3348) and Egypt (2895) are working in the NHS. In the same year, it is seen that only 275 people from Turkey are actively working in the NHS. When this situation is evaluated together with the fact that and 1308 people from Mauriti, 1003 people from Sudan, 395 people from Iran and 309 people from Jordan work in NHS positions in England, it shows that healthcare professionals of Turkish origin are surprisingly hesitant to apply for NHS positions or for GMC equivalency(2).
Compared to people of Turkish origin, the number of NHS healthcare workers of Philippine origin is approximately 100 times higher, while those of Egyptian origin are 10 times more.
22% of doctors and 14% of nurses are nationals of non-EU countries
One in seven nurses and over one in five doctors report the nationality of a non-EU and non-UK country. The most common non-EU nationalities in the NHS are Indian, Filipino and Nigerian.
Doctors
70% of doctors working in English hospital and community health services as of March 2021 report a British nationality. 168 other nationalities are represented.
14% of doctors (18,620) report an Asian nationality. Just under two-thirds are either Indian or Pakistani, and 43 Asian nationalities are represented in total. 9% of doctors (11,210) report an EU nationality, of which one-fifth are Irish. 6% of doctors (7,328) report an African nationality. Over two-thirds of these are either Egyptian or Nigerian, and 35 African nationalities are represented in total.
As can be seen from the table below, the rate of non-British health workers is 20% or more in some hospital groups in England.
1- https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7783/CBP-7783.pdf
2- https://researchbriefings.files.parliament.uk/documents/CBP-7783/fullflags.pdf
