FAMILY doctors have urged the Home Secretary to relax immigration rules in order to recruit more GPs from overseas, warning of a "desperate need" to ease pressures amid escalating patient demand.

In a letter to Sajid Javid, the head of the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) said there were concerning cases where foreign GPs had been affected by the "hostile environment" policies first introduced by one of his predecessors, Theresa May.

They included a trainee family doctor threatened with deportation by the Home Office, a Syrian medical student from war-ravaged Aleppo denied a visa, and a Canadian medical student who had struggled to secure sponsorship.

But East Lancashire health chiefs say despite a shortage of GPs in the area, visa rules have not had a specific impact on recruitment.

RCGP chairwoman Professor Helen Stokes-Lampard said it is "crucially important" to recruit more GPs from overseas and repeated calls for family doctors to be added to the list of shortage occupations.

This would cut some of the "arduous" bureaucracy involved in relocating a GP to the UK from outside the EU.

"We need an immigration system that puts human beings and common sense over policy and process, and works in the best interests of the British public," Prof Stokes-Lampard said.

"It is clear from recent media reports that the public support the relaxing of immigration rules for people wanting to come from overseas to live in the UK to work in the NHS.

"We would ask you, in your new role as Home Secretary, to heed our calls and act on this demonstration of public sentiment by relaxing immigration rules for appropriately trained doctors who want to work as GPs in the UK from overseas."

Mr Javid has signalled that immigration rules for skilled workers in the NHS could be relaxed, saying he will take a "fresh look" at the cap on "tier 2 visas" which allow non-EU foreign doctors to come to the UK.

He said the Home Office's "hostile environment" policy towards immigrants would be reviewed in the wake of the Windrush scandal.

A spokesperson for NHS East Lancashire CCG, said: “Whilst we are not aware of a specific problem in East Lancashire with regard to visa rules restricting the recruitment of GPs, are however facing a shortage of practitioners as is the rest of the country.

“The CCG has recently published its plan to support the 54 GP practices in East Lancashire to provide improved GP care and access to services to the 381,000 people who use GP services. 

"This includes working with local universities to encourage more local GP trainees.”