HC Deb 08 July 1975 vol 895 cc314-7
9. Mr. Norman Fowler

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she can now give an estimate of the extent to which the emigration of doctors is increasing.

39. Mr. Goodhart

asked the Secretary of State for Social Services if she can now quantify the rate at which the emigration of doctors is increasing.

Mrs. Castle

Migration of British doctors is two-way. In recent years about 800 have left in a year, some only temporarily, whilst about 500 return annually. Provisional figures suggest that migration in the year ending 30th September 1974 was similar. More recently, returns of those who say that they intend to emigrate on leaving the National Health Service are suggesting some increase in emigration.

Mr. Fowler

Is not the tragedy of this situation that many of the doctors and consultants who have emigrated or who are considering emigration have worked for many years in the National Health Service and would like to continue? Does not the alarming rate of emigration reflect the crisis of morale within the medical profession? Has not the time come for the right hon. Lady to start listening to the medical profession rather than riding rough-shod over it?

Mrs. Castle

What the hon. Gentleman conveniently overlooks is that I, with the help of my colleagues, gave the medical profession the biggest increase it had had for a long time. We did this under the recent review body procedure. However, when I took over this job I found that morale was indeed very low due to the treatment by the previous Conservative Government of consultants and other people in the medical profession over pay. I have been mending the damaged morale which I inherited.

Mr. Molloy

Is my right hon. Friend aware that although many doctors are genuinely concerned about the future of the health service, this old threat of leaving Great Britain and going elsewhere has been going on ever since the service was created? Some members of the medical profession who have carried out their threat have had to appeal to the State to be bailed out and brought back home. Is my right hon. Friend also aware that reports have been circulating today which give members of the medical profession cause for great consternation, because they claim that certain diktats of the EEC may deny members of the medical profession their status? Will my right hon. Friend look into this and, when she thinks it necessary, come to the House and make a statement?

Mrs. Castle

On the first part of my hon. Friend's question, he is quite right that often alarmist reports are spread which exaggerate the situation. There is cause for concern if emigration increases, but there is certainly not a crisis at present. It is also important to remember that the National Health Service does not employ all doctors in the country. The statistics that we have for earlier years suggest that less than half of those emigrating at any one time do so from the National Health Service. I shall certainly consider the second part of my hon. Friend's question.

Mr. Goodhart

Does the right hon. Lady agree that the wholly unnecessary row about the continuation of private practice is adding to the emigration rate?

Mrs. Castle

No, I do not accept that for one moment. One of the problems we face—and we all have to accept this —is that very often doctors and other members of the medical profession are attracted by superior facilities that may be available elsewhere. That is why it is in the interests of all of us to preserve, strengthen and extend the National Health Service.

Mr. Cryer

Will my right hon. Friend recall that the General Secretary of the British Medical Association saw the Common Market as an opportunity for doctors to escape from the sot-called shackles of the National Health Service? However, will she also accept that it is very strange for the Opposition to call on miners, dockers and railwaymen to be patriotic and work for the country but never to apply this doctrine to doctors, whom they seem to be encouraging to leave the country? Will my right hon. Friend ask her right hon. Friend the Prime Minister to make to the doctors the speech that he has just made to the miners, to encourage them to be patriotic, to stay in this country and to work for the National Health Service?

Mrs. Castle

My hon. Friend has admirably summed up the hypocrisy of Conservative Members.

Mr. Burden

Does not the right hon. Lady agree that one of the most disturbing features of the emigration of doctors is the increase in the number of consultants who are going abroad? Can she give figures for the number of consultants who have left this country in the past two years, because they are the anchor of the health service in Britain?

Mrs. Castle

No, I cannot without notice give that breakdown. However, I repeat that many of these reports are over-sensationalised. For example, a recent report to the effect that 4,500 British doctors arrived in South Africa in the first three months of 1974 was obviously nonsense, because if it were true the National Health Service would have closed down.