MINISTERS were slammed today for not knowing how many NHS workers will be affected by changes to immigration rules.

Health minister Karin Smyth said the Department of Health and Social Care “did not hold information” on the number of NHS staff currently working who “could be affected by proposed changes to the rules on indefinite leave to remain.”

Her response to the parliamentary question by Labour MP Neil Duncan-Jordan was met with union condemnation to the government’s deployment of these plans.

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) described them as a “grave error” and Unison branded the lack of information surrounding plans “nothing short of reckless.”

Last year, Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer recently announced changes to Britain’s indefinite leave to remain (ILR) system, making the minimum period to obtain settled status 10 years, up from the previous five.

Doctors and nurses working in the NHS are given exemptions from changes in visa and work rules, but social and private healthcare staff, who were contracted to cut NHS backlogs, are likely to be affected.

RCN director of policy Amber Jabbal said their own research found one in 10 registered nurses would be hit.

Ms Jabbal warned thousands could be “driven away” from health and care settings at a time when shortages are already in place.

She said: “International nursing staff are crucial to the functioning of our health and care services. We should be thanking them for the sacrifices they make to care for us, not seeking to make their lives more difficult.”

Unison’s head of health Helga Pile said: “To introduce these life-altering rules with so many unanswered questions is nothing short of reckless.

“Every overseas worker in the NHS will be affected if they don’t already have residence rights. That will leave key workers in limbo for 15 years under these proposals and will cause chaos for long-term planning in healthcare.

“NHS staff are all part of one team but that will be split apart by the Home Office’s view about who is high or low skilled.”

The Department of Health and Social Care said it was “proud that the NHS is one of the most diverse workforces in the world.”

A spokesperson added: “However, it is important we are not over-reliant on international recruitment at the expense of giving opportunities to our own homegrown talent.”