Labour has urged the government to abolish NHS fees for overseas health professionals and care workers. This comes following the news that the health immigration surcharge, which is currently £400 a year per person, is set to rise to £624 in October. Tara Pilkington brings you what you need to know.
A carer who is currently on the national living wage, which pays £8.72 an hour for those over 25, would need to work over 70 hours to pay off the Health Immigration Bill surcharge fee after it increases in October.
Here’s what you need to know:
- Labour said that that they will table an amendment to the Immigration Bill in a bid to exempt overseas NHS staff and care professionals from the surcharge after Boris Johnson rejected calls for changes.
- Speaking at Prime Minister’s questions, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said: “Every Thursday, we go out and clap for our carers. Many of them are risking their lives for the sake of all of us… Does the Prime Minister think it’s right that care workers coming from abroad and working on our front line should have to pay a surcharge of hundreds, sometimes thousands, of pounds to use the NHS themselves?”
- Shadow home secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds said: “Overseas professionals have been at the front line of this crisis and cared for our loved ones as if they were their own…It is an insult and injustice to have this charge in place for them. That is why I would urge Tory MPs to back this amendment.”
- Further criticism of the bill comes from SNP Westminster leader Ian Blackford, who asked the prime minister if he was not embarrassed and called for the cruel surcharge and asked for it to be axed immediately.
- The Royal College of Nursing has also written to Home Secretary Priti Patel urging her to waive the surcharge.
