MPs demand end to repayment clauses in contracts of overseas health workers

Employment conditions can tie staff to roles for up to five years and impose fees of 14,000 for an early return home

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The NHS must halt the use of repayment clauses" in contracts for international healthcare workers, MPs have said.

Members of the Commons health and social care committee came to this finding after an Observer investigation in March revealed how some workers were being forced to pay thousands of pounds if they wish to quit their jobs before their agreed contract ends. Widely used in both the private health and social care sector and in the NHS, the clauses are designed to help with retention of workers and recouping costs associated with overseas recruitment.