Should Dido Harding really run NHS England?

Dido Harding’s campaign to become the next boss of the NHS in England took a high-profile turn this weekend.

‘Sources close to Dido Harding’ (perhaps ones occupying the same pair of shoes) briefed the Sunday Times about the Conservative peer and ex-boss of the £37 billion Test and Trace scheme pitch as a candidate. (If appointed, the noble Baroness will reportedly resign from the Conservative party and take an indefinite leave of absence from the House of Lords.)

Apparently, the health world’s favourite noble Baroness will end England’s reliance on foreign doctors and nurses if she replaces Sir Simon Stevens as the next head of NHS England.

This is an interesting and large commitment, given that the article cites House of Commons Library data that 170,000 out of 1.3 million NHS staff say their nationality is not British: almost 14 per cent of the workforce.

From an ethical point of view, there’s a solid argument that the NHS should make adequate national provision to train staff, as opposed to recruiting from countries with smaller economies and less well-funded health services.