The UK is signatory to the WHO Code of Practice on International Recruitment, which the NHS applies through the NHS Employers Code of Conduct.
Although the WHO Code of Practice and the NHS Code of Conduct both explicitly support the migration of health workers for education and training, the Code of Conduct also includes a list that categorises countries, including those of which the NHS can not actively recruit from.
HEE strongly supports this, however, there is a clear desire for clinicians from some countries included in the NHS Code list to work in the NHS, and there is increasing recognition that sustainable managed pathways for this flow, facilitated by HEE, could be a solution for the mutual benefit of all countries and healthcare professionals involved.
In response to this desire, the UK government Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) has mandated the development and facilitation of new sustainable models for government-to-government staff exchange partnerships like MEPs.