EU ambulance staff sticking with service despite Brexit
Ambulance staff from EU countries are sticking with the service and not leaving ahead of Brexit, an NHS Trust report says.
West Midlands Ambulance Service CEO Anthony Marsh will this week reassure the board that, despite uncertainty over the UK’s withdrawal deal, “no significant” exodus is expected ahead of March 29.
WMAS employ 46 staff from EU countries. The majority, from Ireland, will not need to apply for settled or pre-settled status in any event.
Mr Marsh’s report includes a letter from Health Secretary Matt Hancock updating them and other health providers on the government’s Brexit preparations and reminding them not to stockpile medicines beyond “business-as-usual” levels.
The report says non-UK EU staff make up less than one per cent of WMAS’s 4,500-strong workforce.
Twenty-four of these are Irish. WMAS workforce director Kim Nurse notes: “Irish citizens living in the UK do not need to apply to the EU Settlement Scheme. Their rights in the UK are protected under the UK-Ireland Common Travel Area Arrangements, therefore 24 of WMAS staff are not required to take any further action.”
Nine more staff are Polish, three are Romanian, two German and two Italian. There is one more employee each from the Czech Republic, Latvia, Malta, Portugal, Slovakia and Spain.
“This means just 22 staff will be required to complete the necessary Settlement Scheme application arrangements,” Ms Nurse writes.
“Due to the scrapping of the settled status fees, there are now no costs incurred when staff submit their application.”
“The Government has confirmed that if the UK does withdraw from the EU without a deal, this will not affect the scheme or the rights of individuals who have already been granted settled or pre-settled status.”
Ms Nurse adds that Brexit, whether with or without a deal, represents a “low risk” to WMAS and its performance.
Mr Marsh adds: “The current expectation is that there will not be a significant degree of health and care staff leaving around exit day.
“Organisations are advised to escalate any concerns through existing reporting mechanisms to ensure there is NHS oversight at both regional and national level.”
Mr Marsh will present the report to the West Midlands Ambulance Service University NHS Foundation Trust board of directors when it meets in Dudley on Wednesday, January 30.
