International Recruitment and Skilled Worker Sponsorship (formerly Tier 2)

Support for newly qualified non-European Economic Area (EEA) GP trainees

Health Education England acts as the proxy visa sponsor for international medical graduates on the GP Training Programme that require visas to live and train in the United Kingdom (UK).

After completing their training, these GPs either need to return overseas, find employment with an employer that holds a skilled worker visa or if they have already been in the UK for five years or more apply to normalise their status as a UK resident. This visa has replaced the Tier 2 one and allows individuals to come to or stay in the UK to work in an eligible job with an approved employer.

Becoming a UK Visa Sponsoring Practice

Gaining the right to be a UK visa sponsoring practice has many advantages and could form an important part of your general practice workforce planning because you need a sponsorship licence to employ someone to work for you from outside the UK. 

In addition to the Skilled Worker Visa, qualified GPs working in health or adult social care are also eligible to apply for the Health and Care Worker visa instead. This is the visa which doctors applying for the International Induction Programme will need.

If your practice has GP vacancies, or is likely to have vacancies in the future, obtaining a sponsorship licence will help ensure that you maximise your opportunities to recruit into these roles.

Sponsorship will also allow you to employ one of the growing number of GPs from countries such as Australia and South Africa who are relocating to the UK via the streamlined CEGPR process  – Streamlined CEGPR process | Medical Education Hub (hee.nhs.uk) and European GPs that have applied to join the International Induction Programme –https://medical.hee.nhs.uk/medical-training-recruitment/medical-specialty-training/general-practice-gp/how-to-apply-for-gp-specialty-training/international-induction-programme.

Comprehensive current Home Office guidance on how to apply for a licence, sponsor a worker and your duties as a licenced sponsor for a worker on this route can be found here Workers and Temporary Workers: sponsor a skilled worker (accessible) – GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

The application process can take up to 16 weeks but most applications from practices are currently being approved in around four to six weeks.

Hosting an International Medical Graduate (IMG) in your Surgery

Being an International Medical Graduate (IMG)

More information and support for practices

Trust Temps

Temporary Recruitment – Trust Temps

Do you use temporary administration staff? Is it hard to find good people and is time consuming?

Answer: Sign up to be part of the Dorset HealthCare bank administration system; Trust Temps.

The Primary Care Training Hub is funding the cost of accessing the Dorset HealthCare bank administration system for practices in Dorset.

The Bank Staff

  • Receptionists, administrators, medical secretaries
  • They will have been fully interviewed and had all their recruitment checks completed
  • They will have completed all their statutory and mandatory training
  • We are also working to ensure they will be fully trained in using system 1

Roles Available

Receptionist

Administrator

Medical Secretary

Hourly rates are in line with Agenda for Change pay bands appropriate for the role.

Do you want to use a Trust Temp? Please contact dhc.trust.temps@nhs.net or on 01202 277152.

New to Practice Framework

Locally, in line with our NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, we have developed a New to Practice Framework in order to maximise the opportunity presented through the national programmes and to ensure we meet local needs. The purpose of the Framework is to ensure support is offered to all new roles and all newly qualified professionals starting work in general practice and help them thrive in their new role.

To support the successful implementation of the framework and with recruitment in general, we have created a set of resources and will continue to find and develop helpful resources and add them here:

In addition, if you are planning to recruit to the new funded roles under the Additional Roles Reimbursement Scheme (ARRS) you will find information against those roles here. We are regularly adding resources such as examples of adverts, Job Descriptions and Person Specifications under each role.

Retention

To view resources from the NHS Leadership Academy, please click here.

To view resources from NHS Employers, please click here.

Education Alliance & Cornerstone Employer

Working in collaboration with the Our Dorset Workforce Delivery Team, we have established an Education Alliance with representatives for local schools, colleges and universities as well as bodies such as Young Chamber Dorset & The Careers and Enterprise Company.  The Education Alliance focuses on the following areas:

  • Inspiring students about careers in health and care
  • Work experience
  • Provides a database of NHS careers ambassadors to support our engagement with schools
  • Developing education for tomorrow’s workforce
  • Working in collaboration with The Careers & Enterprise Company we have established the NHS in Dorset as a Cornerstone Employer focusing on building talent pipelines for the local health system, sharing best practice with other Cornerstone Employers and being an ambassador and champion for social mobility.

National GP retention Scheme

The GP Retention Scheme is a package of financial and educational support to help doctors, who might otherwise leave the profession, remain in clinical general practice.

The scheme is aimed at doctors who are seriously considering leaving or have left general practice due to personal reasons (caring responsibilities or personal illness), approaching retirement or requiring greater flexibility. The scheme supports both the retained GP and the practice employing them by offering financial support in recognition of the fact that this role is different to a ‘regular’ part-time, salaried GP post, offering greater flexibility and educational support.

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