Website of the Department of Health

Foreword

I am pleased to introduce the revised edition of the Code of Practice for healthcare organisations involved in the international recruitment of healthcare professionals.

The Government is justifiably proud of its programme of reform and investment in the National Health Service. As a result international recruitment has formed an important element in a range of initiatives undertaken to build the NHS workforce and ensure that health services across the nation address the health needs of people today.

The international mobility of healthcare professionals is a well established practice that has been going on for many years. More recent times have seen an increasingly large-scale, targeted international recruitment approach by many developed countries to address domestic shortages. This can benefit the healthcare professional in terms of enriching experience and a chance to increase their quality of life. However, concerns related to the impact this may have upon the healthcare systems of developing countries also need to be addressed. In recognition of this the World Health Assembly called for countries to mitigate the adverse effects of migration of health personnel. This Code is a key element of the approach undertaken by the UK to address this issue. We can also be proud of the fact that we were the first nation to produce international recruitment guidance based on ethical principles and the first nation to develop a robust code of practice for international recruitment.

This revised edition builds upon this experience and offers both principles and standards for all organisations to follow. It clearly demonstrates that the UK is concerned with protecting the healthcare systems of developing countries. This revised Code of Practice also gives all healthcare organisations the opportunity to follow the lead set by the NHS in ensuring that international healthcare professionals are not actively recruited from developing countries, as well as broadening its scope to cover the employment of temporary and locum staff for the first time.

John Hutton
Minister of State for Health

Erratum:

An incorrect telephone number has been published in the printed version of the Code. the correct contact details are:
Elizabeth Kidd
Department of Health, Workforce Directorate
Quarry House
Quarry Hill
Leeds LS2 7UE
0113 254 5844

• Download Code of practice for the international recruitment of healthcare professionals (PDF, 113K)