Wait times at Kings College NHS Trust hospitals aren’t expected to be impacted by Brexit, despite more than one in eight doctors working at the hospitals coming from the EU.

Analysis from the Bureau of Investigative Journalism has found 13.1 per cent of all doctors at the trust come from the EU, along with 12.8 per cent of nurses and health visitors, and 7.2 per cent of midwives.

Senior figures in the NHS have warned recruitment from Europe has dried up, with a potential for knock-on effects on waiting times, operating theatre capacity and beds at hospitals across the country. 

But a spokesperson for King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, which runs hospitals including Princess Royal University Hospital, Orpington Hospital, Beckenham Beacon, Kings College Hospital and Queen Mary’s Hospital, said it was not expecting to be impacted when Britain leaves the European Union in March 2019.

“In the past year the trust has actively reduced its vacancy rate, particularly in nursing where King’s has the lowest vacancy rate in London,” they said.

“In terms of leaving the European Union, the trust is following the guidance issued in August by the health secretary and we do not expect waiting times to be affected.”

This comes after Danny Mortimer, chief executive of NHS Employers, warned falling numbers of nurses would drive up costs and impact wait times. 

“We would have to close capacity because we couldn’t man the beds or run the theatres. Costs would go up because we had to rely on agency staff and they are more expensive,” he said. 

Health secretary Matt Hancock, gave assurances in August that the government would have six weeks’ supply of medicines, and that there was no need for stockpiling, in the “unlikely event” of a no-deal Brexit.

The Home Office launched a toolkit to assist employers in reassuring and supporting EU citizens already resident in the UK and their dependants to apply for settled status earlier this year.

Doctors and nurses are exempt from the cap on skilled worker visas, which means there will be no restrictions on the number of doctors and nurses who can be employed through the Tier 2 visa route, according to government documents.