MPs from both sides of the political divide are stressing the need to support European NHS workers after new figures highlighted their role in Cheshire’s hospitals.

Figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show that the county’s hospitals are still as reliant on non-British staff from the European Union as they were before the referendum on June 23, 2016 – and that there has been no mass exodus of EU workers in Cheshire following the vote.

As of February 17, 2019, there were a total of 412 EU workers at the Countess of Chester, Mid Cheshire Hospitals and East Cheshire NHS trusts.

That is a slight increase on the 405 EU workers in Cheshire’s hospitals on March 31, 2016, while the same total number were also employed 12 months earlier – before David Cameron won the General Election with a promise to give British voters a say on the nation’s EU membership.

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Esther McVey, Conservative MP for Tatton, is a vocal supporter of Brexit and quit Theresa May’s cabinet last November over the Prime Minister’s withdrawal agreement.

She said: “The dedication and hard work by our NHS staff is what delivers world-class care for patients at some of the most difficult times in a person’s life and we should all be grateful for the work they do.

Northwich Guardian:

“The NHS is made up of staff from across the world who work tirelessly to provide safe and high-quality care to patients and it is important that post-Brexit we continue to attract the best people from the UK, EU and around the world.

“I understand people may be concerned what will happen to EU hospital workers once we leave the EU but Government has made it clear that they will be able to stay in the UK if they choose and I hope they do.

“Government is committed to investing in our NHS and we want all staff, including EU nationals, to stay within the NHS.”

The Guardian asked the three hospital trusts to provide the number of EU workers they employed at the end of each quarter from 2015-16 to 2018-19, with the final figure coming from February 17, 2019 – and each of the three trusts painted a different picture.

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The number of EU workers at the Countess of Chester Hospital NHS Trust has increased each year between September and March – at times when the NHS is under increased pressure – and declines again between April and August.

The trust, which runs both its namesake and Ellesmere Port Hospital, had 118 European workers on December 31, 2018, compared to 68 on June 30, 2018.

It is the same pattern in each of the past four years – while the number of EU workers peaked at 144 on December 31, 2016, which was the first winter following the Brexit vote.

Lorraine Burnett, chief operating officer at the trust, said: “The Countess has undertaken planning and preparation to ensure effective care will continue to be delivered in the case of an EU exit.

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“Since last year we have been proactively supporting all staff who are EU citizens to apply for the EU Settlement Scheme.

“We want everyone who is part of Team Countess to remain here, whatever happens, and we will do whatever we can to help.”

Mid Cheshire Hospitals NHS Trust – which runs Leighton Hospital in Crewe, Victoria Infirmary in Northwich and Elmhurst in Winsford – has seen the number of EU workers it employs grow over the past four years.

Having employed 146 EU workers on June 30, 2015, that figure rose to 174 on June 30, 2016, then 196 on June 30, 2017, and reached a peak of 205 on September 30, 2018.

The number of EU workers at Mid Cheshire Hospitals has since dropped slightly, to 199 as of February 17, but the trust insists it has planned ahead for Brexit to ensure ‘effective care will continue to be delivered and uninterrupted’.

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A spokesman at the trust said: “The trust has seen an increase in the number of EU nationals within its workforce since 2015 due to a number of targeted recruitment campaigns specifically aimed at skilled workers from EU member states.

“These campaigns were to address a shortage of UK workers in key posts such as doctors, nurses and allied health professionals.

“EU nationals in the MCHFT workforce will need to register for settled or pre-settled status which the trust will provide support with applications where appropriate.

“Contact has also been made with agency and workforce suppliers with the majority indicating there will not be a large impact on workforce supply as most EU nationals will have already applied to remain, or will have the indefinite right to remain, in the UK.”

East Cheshire NHS Trust – which runs Macclesfield District General Hospital, Congleton War Memorial Hospital and Knutsford Community Hospital – is the only trust out of the three to see its number of EU workers decline in the past four years.

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From a peak of 128 EU workers on June 30, 2016, the trust lost 21 European workers over the next three months, and it employed 102 as of February 17.

A spokesman at East Cheshire NHS Trust said: “In line with other trusts we are not expecting Brexit to substantially impact on our staffing levels.

“We greatly value the contribution made by all our staff in delivering and supporting good standards of patient care.”

Considering why European workers might have left East Cheshire NHS Trust, Ms McVey added: “I will be asking hospital bosses if they keep data on the reason people cite for leaving as the small reduction may be due to retirements or taking up new positions in other trusts.”

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EU nationals are now able to apply for the Government’s EU Settlement Scheme to protect their right to live and work in the country – and this is being promoted by NHS Trusts to its staff.

While Cheshire’s NHS employs a similar number of EU workers, figures from the Royal College of Nursing show that the first 12 months after the referendum saw a 67 per cent increase in the number of EU nurses and midwives leaving the service nationwide.

Mike Amesbury, Labour MP for Weaver Vale, is the party’s Shadow Minister for Employment – and has supported Labour’s Brexit call for a future customs union arrangement with the EU.

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He believes the Government must do more to ensure patients are kept safe after Brexit.

“There are thousands of European nationals who form part of the fabric of our NHS,” Mr Amesbury said.

“They are a skilled and valued group of workers and I believe it is important that they are provided with the certainty they need to continue living and working in the UK after Brexit.

“Our health service has always relied on the contribution of overseas workers – yet concerns have been raised that the Government’s attitude towards Brexit has left many EU nationals working in our NHS feeling that they have no option but to leave.

“More widely, I believe the Government’s ‘hostile environment’ approach to immigration policy is failing patients as the NHS is unable to recruit more doctors and nurses from overseas to fill vacancies.

“Ministers should be doing more to keep patients safe and their priority should be making sure hospitals can get the right numbers of staff in place.”

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