Jump to content

Changes to the national shortage occupation list for work permits

05 February 2008

With effect from 18 March 2008, 38 healthcare-related occupations will be removed from the national shortage occupation list for work permits.

A full list of the occupations is below. We will publish a revised list of shortage occupations once the changes have come into effect.

These changes to the national shortage occupation list for work permits follow research conducted by the NHS workforce review team on behalf of the Department of Health.

The team reviewed all current healthcare occupations included on the list in light of the latest labour market research and skills needed in the healthcare sector. The review covered the whole of the United Kingdom and involved discussions with relevant key stakeholders in both the public and private sectors. The recommendations of the review were discussed and agreed by the Healthcare Sector Advisory Panel.

All work permit applications received for the listed posts on or after 18 March 2008 will now need to be subject to a full resident labour market test. Employers will be required to submit evidence that the posts have been advertised, with full details of people who applied and were interviewed, and why resident workers were not considered suitable.

Work permits will still be issued for these occupations if, following advertising, no suitably qualified resident candidate has been found.

Occupations to be removed from the list of national shortage occupations

The following occupations will be removed from the list from 18 March 2008:

Dentists

Consultants in dental specialities (except consultants and specialists in paediatric dentistry, which remain on the list).

Consultant posts in the following specialist areas:
  • accident and emergency;
  • additional dental specialities;
  • cardiothoracic surgery;
  • clinical radiology;
  • dermatology;
  • endocrinology and diabetes mellitus;
  • endodontics;gastroenterology;
  • general internal medicine;
  • general surgery;
  • histopathology;
  • infectious diseases;
  • medical oncology;
  • neurosurgery;
  • obstetrics and gynaecology;
  • ophthalmology;
  • otolaryngology;
  • paediatric cardiology;
  • palliative medicine;
  • psychotherapy;
  • public health medicine;
  • respiratory medicine;
  • rheumatology;
  • trauma and orthopaedic surgery; and
  • urology.
General medical occupations:
  • dietician;
  • biomedical scientist or medical laboratory scientific officer;
  • occupational therapists;
  • pre-registration cytogeneticists; and
  • speech and language therapists (employed at Agenda for Change band 5 or 6, or independent sector equivalents).
Nurses:

Not all nursing occupations are being removed from the list. The details below set out those we are removing and those that remain on the list.

The following nursing occupations are being removed from the list:

  • midwives; and
    • audiology;
    • sleep or respiratory physiology;
    • neurophysiology;
    • cardiac physiology;
    • clinical radiology; and
    • pathology.

However, the list of shortage occupations still includes registered nurses employed at bands 7 and 8 or their independent sector equivalents and registered nurses employed in the following specialties:

  • operating theatre nurse; and
  • critical care nurse (nurses working in wards with a Level 2 or Level 3 classification).

Frequently Asked Questions

  • Do the changes mean that work permits will no longer be issued for the occupations removed?

    No. While employers are now required to advertise these posts, where they can demonstrate that there is no suitably qualified resident or European Union candidate available to fill the vacancy, then work permits will still be issued. 

  • Why are you only removing occupations from the shortage list?

    The NHS workforce review team only reviewed the existing occupations on the list. Both we and the Department of Health are aware that some stakeholders wish to make a case to add new occupations to the list. We will consider what further analysis should be commissioned for these occupations and this will be considered by the Migration Advisory Committee.

  • If the labour market situation changes again in the future, will it be possible to add these occupations back to the shortage list?

    Yes, the decision can be reversed in the future should the labour market situation change.

  • Why are midwives being removed from the shortage list when recent media coverage has said shortages of labour exist?

    The NHS workforce review team consulted all relevant key stakeholders. The available evidence showed that there was an adequate pool of suitably qualified resident candidates, including newly qualified midwives, in the United Kingdom labour force to meet the needs of employers. Employers will now be required to consider resident candidates first when filling a vacancy. This is appropriate as public funding was used to train these workers. Recruitment is a local matter for NHS trusts based on their service needs. In terms of skill mix in maternity services, employers might consider, for example, the use of maternity support workers as well as expanding the numbers of midwives. Employers could also consider recruitment initiatives such as attracting back midwives who are taking career breaks.

Back to top