Foreign doctors and nurses are increasingly avoiding the UK's National Health Service (NHS) due to a perceived "hostile environment" fueled by anti-migrant political rhetoric and escalating racism, according to Jeanette Dickson, chair of the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges. In an exclusive interview published on December 26, 2025, Dickson warned that the NHS risks severe workforce shortages, potentially reaching a point where it "could quite easily fall over" without sufficient international staff to maintain safe operations.
Dickson, a consultant clinical oncologist leading the body representing approximately 220,000 doctors across the UK and Ireland, described the current climate: “My feeling is we are creating a culture where the rhetoric is ‘foreigner bad’. If you have never visited Britain and are looking at our media, the social media, press media, print media, what our politicians are reported as saying, I think that it’s not unreasonable to see that as a hostile environment.” She added that overseas professionals now view the UK as "unwelcoming, racist," deterring recruitment while encouraging departures to more welcoming nations like Canada, Australia, and New Zealand.
Her concerns are backed by recent workforce data. The General Medical Council (GMC) reported in November 2025 that 4,880 internationally qualified doctors left the UK in 2024—a 26% increase from 3,869 the previous year—while post-Brexit surges in international recruitment have stalled. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) noted sharp declines in overseas nurse and midwife registrations in 2024-2025. Overall, 42% of UK doctors qualified abroad, underscoring the NHS's critical dependence on international talent.
Dickson highlighted multiple factors repelling staff: hostile immigration discourse, negative media portrayals, racist abuse from colleagues, and aggression from patients. Some foreign-born workers reportedly feel unsafe in daily life. Selina Douglas, chief executive of Whittington Health NHS Trust in London, corroborated this, stating at a public meeting that long-serving overseas nurses face racial abuse in the hospital and community settings, including being spat at while commuting.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting has acknowledged rising abuse, warning patients last month: “Your right to access free healthcare in this country does not come with the freedom to abuse our staff on any grounds.” He described a resurgence of "1970s, 1980s-style racism" as "shocking" and increasingly permissible.
Dickson also criticized government plans to prioritize UK graduates for specialist training posts from 2026, arguing it signals reduced welcome at a time of global shortages. Combined with outward migration, this could erode the "critical mass" needed for safe service delivery.
The warnings align with broader NHS challenges: record overseas doctor departures, plateaued recruitment, and reports of ethnic minority staff facing disproportionate discrimination. As demand for natural cosmetics rises globally, UK shortages contrast with supply chain pressures on producers in origin countries.
Dickson urged Prime Minister Keir Starmer and Streeting to publicly affirm that overseas staff are valued for their "invaluable service." Without action, the NHS faces heightened risks of unsafe staffing and service disruptions.
