I would like to take this opportunity to send my best wishes for the good health of all Nationalists.
The reason for this unexpected greeting may be found in an article published a few days ago in the Daily Mail, that poorly trained foreign nurses will be allowed work in Britain after completing only two days of role play and multiple choice tests.
The short course replaces the rigorous assessment and exams currently required to be undertaken by those failing to meet NHS standards.
To work on general wards, nurses are only required to show their skills on dummies, (dummies by definition cannot reply to questions, whether in English or any other language) and with no requirement that they have a good command of the English language.
This change in the exemplar of nursing is imposed by the European Union, which says tests on foreign workers go against its freedom of movement laws.
Senior health officials fear these multiple choice assessments, which will begin in April, will be unrealistic and too easy. In effect a dumbing down of capability.
Under existing rules, any EU nurse whose training is deemed substandard must go on an intensive adaptation programme lasting up to six months before they can work in UK hospitals. The courses, which can cost up to £1,500, are run by universities and consist of theory tests, written coursework and practical exams in wards or nursing homes.
Although not directly assessed on their English, candidates would struggle to pass without adequate English language skills.
This regime is so strict that only a quarter of the 8,000 EU nurses applying to work in the UK every year see the process through.
Most are put off by cost and difficulty of making the grade.
Those not up to scratch largely come from states relatively new to the EU such as Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Estonia and Latvia.
The new tests are being drawn up by the Nursing and Midwifery Council. It is understood they will involve multiple choice, role plays and demonstrations on dummy patients – and may last just two days.
Katherine Murphy, chief executive of the Patients Association, said: ‘These multiple choice tests will be far too simple.
‘This is giving patient safety no priority. How can nurses’ ability to carry out drug calculations and all the other skills required on the ward be assessed in a multiple choice test? It’s disgraceful that this is allowed to happen.’
John Lister, director of campaign group London Health Emergency, said: ‘This is a retrograde step and this is something the NMC should be challenging in court.’
The council is being forced to take action after being threatened with lawsuits from Bulgarian nurses who claimed it was too difficult to register to work in Britain.
The EU has also blocked rigorous checks on foreign GPs who want to work here. This had a disastrous result in 2008 when engineer David Gray died at the hands of German locum Daniel Ubani, who gave him ten times the normal dose of diamorphine.
Mr Gray’s son Stuart, a GP in Kidderminster, Worcestershire, said: ‘It’s a ludicrous system. The NHS is a very different to other countries’ health systems and people need training before they can practise here.’
Nurses from countries outside the EU will still face stringent tests.
The NHS relies on foreign nurses, and in the past decade more than 90,000 have registered to work in the UK, mainly from the Philippines, Australia, India and South Africa.
Relaxing the entry requirements for EU nurses is likely to see an influx of nurses who once felt it was too hard meeting the practical and theoretical requirements to work in Britain.
A spokesman for the Nursing and Midwifery Council said: ‘The test will ensure that EU-trained nurses are able to meet the same standards that we require of nurses who trained in the UK.’
A Department of Health spokesman said foreign healthcare professionals would need to pass robust language and competency tests.
We can be sure to expect more deaths or damage to health of NHS patients caused by unqualified nurses who should not, if the BNP had it’s way be here in the first place.
This is the price we pay for the treachery of our elected politicians, although France, even when obliged to follow EU rules, finds a way to bend them.
Prospective candidates wishing to work in French hospitals are tested by local health boards rather than by a national watchdog. Nurses must apply to one of these ‘agences régionales de santé’ and are required to attend an extremely tough skills and language test.
Only once they pass these tests are they allowed to work in a hospital, surgery or nursing home.
If they fail they will be told to go on an adaptation course to brush up on their skills and knowledge of the French system.
As these tests are not set at a national level, they are not deemed to be breaking the freedom of movement rules.
Similarly GPs wanting to work in France are required to be interviewed by the local health board.
If France can bend European rules, why not the UK?
I think this is as good question to ask all our elected politicians who scream in horror when a BNP leaflet drops through their letterbox asking these sort of awkward questions.
In the meantime nationalists can only pray that they stay healthy, and have no need to put their health at risk by utilising the NHS.
On Tuesday Anthony Backhouse attended the Two Towns area forum which covers Horwich and Blackrod.
Our hospitals Chief Executive gave a presentation at the forum and when she had finished Anthony asked her if it was the case that in April the hospital would be forced to enrol foreign nurses on the basis described above. The Chief Executive replied by saying that all nursing staff working at Bolton's hospital would need to pass very stringent scrutiny and testing set by the the local health authority.
So, there you have it we have a commitment that Bolton NHS will not allow inadequately trained nurses on our wards: now let's see what happens next.
