A cap on immigration could impair the UK’s ability to recruit the necessary number of overseas consultants to fill skills shortages in the health sector, according to John Faraguna, managing director of Hays Health and Social Care.

The home secretary Theresa May yesterday announced a 12-week consultation to decide on a permanent annual limit on the number of non-EU arrivals entering the UK.

Faraguna says: “Despite the high unemployment levels in the UK, we are still struggling to recruit certain skills and are faced with an ageing workforce so would not recommend a blanket approach to immigration.

“Skill shortages are prevalent in a number of areas of social care and affect many healthcare disciplines. For example, the current and forward requirements from our clients indicate there is a global shortage of specialist doctors that Europe alone cannot address and hospitals benefit from the use of specialist consultants from overseas.

“Recruiting from overseas allows us to recruit the right skills in sufficient numbers to meet the needs of employers nationwide – we aren’t at a stage where they are self-sufficient.”