@NHS Do you trust Theresa May?

JanieG- could have posted that myself! Completely agree (am ex NHS myself)

Not at all sure about that suggestion Margaret as all kinds of medical mistakes could be made by somebody with a poor grasp of the language.You expect and deserve a nurse who you have confidence in, that can easily understand you and that you understand what they are saying.

I agree with your last statement about political control JanieG as at present planning is so short term. However I think it's too simplistic to expect everyone to take control of their health as you describe. If there was a level playing field I could agree but there isn't. For example children born in poverty have a poor start in life and this can affect health for the rest of their lives. It is also much easier to feed a family healthily when you have the money to do so. I also worked for the NHS and saw first hand the health problems caused by deprivation.

I'm sure I'll get some criticism for this but my view is that much of the strain on the NHS is created by the public. It is not your right to see a GP if you have a sore throat, the nurse practitioner can advise and prescribe if necessary. It is not your right to smoke, drink and eat as much as you like and the NHS will fix you. Your body and your health is your responsibility and if you don't look after it, don't expect the NHS to do it for you. It is recognised within the NHS that creating more capacity will just create more demand. It is time for individuals to look after themselves better to reduce rates of cancer, type 2 diabetes, COPD etc. And yes, I do work for the NHS and I personally would like to see it taken out of political control.

What hypocrites these MPs are. I have just seen that 10 Tory MPs who spoke out against pay cap for nurses voted FOR it. They include three doctors, including Sarah Wollaston and my MP. Am just about to let him know what I think.

Maybe the young nurses can't speak english enough to pass a test but after a trial time on the wards -surely there must be one- they will have adjusted and their English will have improved enough to take the test and pass it.

This thing about taking in nurses from Australia shows the how poor UK thinking and planning is on these matters.

There surely can't be enough nurses in Australia who want to leave and come to the UK. It is my experience that when young Germans who are improving their English, that Australia is where they want to go to. Either that or NZ Florida or California.

Thanks, Jalima, but it was a fortnight ago.

If you go to the supermarket they sometimes have papers in a rack to read free of charge

although you would probably have to buy a tea or coffee.

I picked up your grammar error, roses, because you were suggesting that the reason the EU nurses could not come was because they could not pass the English test.
It's the sort of thing that children are taught in primary school, but could easily be part of an English test.

No chance of me reading the Times. I'd have to pay to do it. Me pay Murdoch?

I cannot think that the NHS was 'better under Blair' - especially if you had friends or relatives in the hell-hole that was Stafford Hospital.

They are planning to close one of our two A&E Units despite serving a population of half a million in Shropshire and Mid Wales.
Why does Wales not have its own A&E units - health is devolved and is run by the Welsh Assembly under Labour? One other thing they do not have in Wales is PFIs which are draining the NHS in England of funds. Wales should surely be providing its own A&E services.

I have always thought that Jane10 was one of our more 'grown-up' and reasonable posters

I know because young in-law had to pay to take one - over £500!

Well, there we are! thanks Jalima

rosesarered nurses from Australia have to take the English test (at their own expense) - yes, stupid I know!
EU nurses do not.

Do all nurses need to take the IELTS test?

No. Nurses from the UK and the rest of the EU do not need to take an IELTS test. Only nurses from outside the EU need to take the test.

Please note: the situation regarding English language requirements for EU nurses and midwives is changing. From 18 January 2016 nurses and midwives from EU countries will have to provide evidence of their ability to communicate safely and effectively in English before they can practise in the UK. Nurses and midwives who cannot provide sufficient evidence will have to take an IELTS test

Again, first hand experience of hospital, last year, both myself and husband had great difficulty at times in either understanding what an EU nurse was saying, and they had difficulty understanding what we were asking.It varies greatly, there was a Spanish nurse who spoke English easily, but some who really didn't.

Are you going to pick up everybody's use of words/spellings dj because I see quite a lot on the forum, but am too good mannered to point them out.

What I wrote was taken from a letter to The Times from not last Saturday but the one before, from a firm which stated exactly that, and said it was the largest agency provider to the NHS and wanted to dispel the myth that Brexit had stopped nurses from EU countries from applying, but that it was the new ruling from 2016 about language.
If you are really keen, you could probably find it ( maybe online?) I was at DS's house when I read it.....it will not still be there for me to copy.

Every European I know can speak English perfectly, some even better than the English.
Anyone wanting to come here to be a nurse will have a degree. I don't know one EU country that doesn't have English as a second language.
Can you prove what you say, roses?
By the way, it's fewer, not less.

rar my point was not that nurses/doctors from Europe aren't applying irrespective of their English ability but that the NHS is nbot in a position to provide them with contracts until the terms are sorted.

The drop in applications is due to the more stringent language tests!

My point is that it isn't the fear of Brexit but nurses from the EU not being able to pass a language test that is causing less to come here.We need to recruit now from all countries that have English either as a second language or Australia, NZ or elsewhere.

I don't trust PM May. Why expect a wolf to look after the welfare of chickens? Nature will out.

I wish she were as pro-active as Pres. Trump who is looking after the citizens of the US He's already sorting their neglected infrastructure, while working the US doesn't pay over the odds for goods and agreements as the UK does. Eventually the UK will separate from Merkle's megalomania

96% drop in applications does not fit in with your post, roses.

Therefore there is a shortage of nurses IN the NHS, roses.
If they can't come in because they can't speak English properly, they can't work here.
What was your point?

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jun/13/nursing-uk-crisis-brexit-worse-nhs

I read that the biggest recruiting agency for the NHS says that there is no shortage of nurses applying to come here still ( from the EU) but the English test brought in in 2016, has had a dramatic effect, as a lot are failing it.This is an important issue, as we need our nurses to have a really good grasp of our language, they cannot just 'wing it' as it could lead to all sorts of medical mistakes.

Agree lazi it is very short-sighted. A colleague whose sister is a doctor working in family planning says there are a lot of doctors approaching retirement but can't recruit from Europe as not possib;e at present to guarantee future employment - disaster waiting to happen thanks to Brexit.

Thanks dj have circulated. My mother in hospital just now and I've hardly seen regular staff, just mainly agency nurses who are travelling on average 60 miles to get here. They tell me they can't survive on hospital contract pay, so can afford to work less hours for more money with agency. Just a crazy short sighted way to run NHS. Freeze staff pay and put money into pockets of private companies.