I ncreasingly, doctors from across the globe are coming to the UK to lend their skills and experience to the NHS in exchange for the opportunity to work in one of world’s largest and most respected healthcare systems. Many are employed by NES Healthcare, a leading provider of doctors to the healthcare sector. The company accepts only the most talented doctors, provides training and assessment, and sponsors them as NES Healthcare employees to work in the UK.
“The important thing to note is that we are not a locum agency,” says Managing Director Peter Sheppard. “We employ 500 doctors from around 40 different countries ourselves. That allows us to help address staffing shortages in the NHS, providing very highly trained doctors on a managed and contracted programme. This means the patients benefit from repeatedly seeing the same doctor, and we save the NHS millions of pounds as our service is a fraction of the cost of what they would pay in locum fees.”
The company was set up in 1997 and has offices in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, and in Norwich, Norfolk. It works with around 200 hospitals, including some of the larger private hospital groups, such as Nuffield Health and Priory. As well as providing medical doctors, the company recruits from a range of specialisms, such as surgery, intensive care, oncology, anaesthetics and paediatrics. “This is great for foreign doctors who want that experience of working in the NHS. Medical professionals see the UK as a beacon of excellence and or them to have the NHS on their CV is something they experience with considerable pride,” says Sheppard.
One factor that differentiates NES Healthcare from competitors is the quality of its training. The company’s training and assessment centre in Aylesbury ensures that doctors who have been trained in different healthcare systems can meet the exceptionally high standards of the NHS. Attendees undergo a range of tests to judge competency, and further training can be provided to solve any gaps in knowledge and experience to ensure patient safety. Incoming doctors also benefit as they improve their skills, which they often take back to their home country or use directly in the NHS after the initial contract with NES Healthcare concludes. The consistency and quality of NES Healthcare’s training, including ensuring its recruits are able to communicate in good medical English, is such that the company has won awards. In 2021, it was a finalist at the Independent Healthcare Awards for Excellence in Training.
NES Healthcare has expanded its service to more NHS hospitals. “We find that when they experience our service, they make use of it more extensively,” says Sheppard. He cites the example of one hospital that initially trialled a pilot scheme with four doctors in a single ward. Within months, the hospital requested an additional 40 doctors to work there. “Once they realised how cost-effective the service was and the fact it gave continuity of care to patients and multi-disciplinary medical teams, they embraced the scheme.
“We are very proud of the journey we have taken over the past few years. We have grown from a very small company with a handful of doctors, and now supply so much quality healthcare to the UK. We see ourselves as a champion and supporter of the NHS, as well as for doctors from all over the world.”
