Foreign nurses and midwives who have not been near a patient in 20 years are being registered to work in the UK - even though a British nurse or midwife with such a long time away from patients would not be allowed to work here under the same circumstances.
This two tier system is a result of EU rules on the free movement of workers, and is leading to patients lives being directly put at risk.
"We now have a situation whereby we are admitting people who literally have not been near a patient for 20 years, have done no CPD and have to be admitted to the register because they have freedom of movement and rights. Yet if they were a UK-registered nurse or midwife, they would not be allowed to continue. Indeed, they would have to do a return-to-practice course at a school of nursing or midwifery" Dickon Weir-Hughes, chief executive of the NMC (Nursing and Midwifery Council) told a Lords sub-committee.
Cases also highlighted include a EU doctor who refused to speak to a member of the GMC over the phone because her English was too poor to have a spoken conversation, instead putting her husband on the phone and getting him to translate.
Good luck getting proper medical care if she happens to be your doctor and you need to explain your symptoms then.
The whole situation is an insane shambles which puts British patients lives at risk - and it arises as a direct result of the EU's lunatic insistence that the free movement of labour between EU states is of greater importance than any practical considerations such as language barriers or patient safety.
Full Story - Guardian
Foreign nurses and midwives who have not been near a patient in 20 years are being registered to work in the UK - even though a British nurse or midwife with such a long time away from patients would not be allowed to work here under the same circumstances.
