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Brexit could trigger NHS doctor exodus, union warns

Two in five European doctors could leave the UK because of the Brexit vote in an exodus that would mean "disaster" for the NHS, a doctors' union has warned.

Medics no longer feel welcome in the country or appreciated by the Government in the wake of the EU referendum and are considering leaving, according to the British Medical Association (BMA) poll.

More than 10,000 doctors in the NHS - nearly 7% of the workforce - are European-trained and a mass departure would place significant strain on a health service already struggling to cope.

Accident and emergency departments are already suffering record numbers of patients facing long waits and many are being forced to close their doors because they cannot cope.

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Dr Mark Porter, chairman of council at the BMA, said: "At a time when the NHS is already at breaking point and facing crippling staff shortages, this would be a disaster and threaten the delivery of high-quality patient care."

Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt has pledged to train 1,500 more doctors to make the NHS self-sufficient by 2025, suggesting foreign doctors will not be welcome after that time.

In October the Prime Minister came under fire for "breathtaking arrogance" after saying that foreign doctors were only in the UK for an "interim period" until more "British doctors" are trained to "work in our hospitals".

The BMA poll of 1,193 doctors from the European Economic Area found that 42% were considering leaving the country, with nearly a quarter (23%) unsure.

It found they felt "less committed" to working in the UK following the Brexit vote and felt less appreciated by the Government.

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German GP Birgit Woolley, who has worked in the UK for 20 years, said: "Since the result of the EU referendum I feel increasingly uncertain about my future here, and am considering returning to Germany.

"It is unsettling that in a country that I have contributed to for 20 years and consider home, I am now seen as a foreigner and have to prove that I deserve to live and work here."

She added: "But the reality is that the Government does not appreciate what EU nationals like me have contributed to the UK and only sees us as bargaining chips."

Figures from NHS Digital workforce statistics show 59,796 NHS staff in England come from the European Union, including 10,267 doctors.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "As the Government has repeatedly made clear, overseas workers form a crucial part of our NHS and we value their contribution immensely."