How should medical staff react to this:

Cana your explain why a skin colour can make any difference would they only be treated by a surgeon with green eyes or red hair what the xxxx
What if a doctor refused to take someone on as a patient because they wore glasses it’s a bizarre as that
The person should have be given the one consultant and turned away as rejecting care if they still refused that doctor
Hideous bloody people

I think I may understand where you are coming from now, Grandmablue
Are you saying that this old, unmarried lady was refusing to be treated by a white carer?
Or was it because he was male, which would be understandable in the circumstances.

Would she refuse to be treated by a white female carer though?

Solange...I think it depends on how serious the person’s illness is, is it a life threatening one etc? Yes, they will be spoken to about their unreasonable requests/prejudices but in the end, the NHS will not let somebody die.
Fortunately these cases are rare.

Emerald it’s not even about where they were trained is it? At my GP practice and local hospitals we have many doctors of colour born, brought up and educated and trained here. Some even went to public school and have very upper class English accents. ?. One poster tried to muddy the water on this thread by bringing in the issue of competence when the thread is about refusing treatment on grounds of colour.

Perhaps a cross over to another thread I recently posted.

What about organ donation? Should we let patients choose the colour, religion or ethnicity of donor?

As long as they spoke good clear English it wouldn’t bother me. But I have a friend who’s husband had no idea what the registrar was saying as his English was so poor after an emergency operation that she had to go in and have it explained to her by a white nurse. So for me the language needs to be as good as the skills.

Call as I pointed out its lawful under the Equalities Act to request treatment on the grounds of sex. For example I could ring my surgery and say I wanted a female GP because of the problem I had - the surgery would not regard this as unlawful discrimination. However, if I rang up and said I wanted a white doctor, tbat is a quite different matter. Grand was muddling up two different issues and she also threw in the issue of competence to further muddy the water. BTW if my surgery didn’t have a female GP available quickly I would have to either wait or see a male. I do not have an absolute right to see a female

Leongrove, when you are admitted, in a desperate state, needing emergency treatment, if that patient says no black staff....they usually will still be told, these are the staff we have available. If they still refuse then they can be asked to sign a waiver stating they won’t accept treatment from (whoever they don’t like). The hospital is then covered if they die. Same with some very sick patients who refuse further treatment or Jehova’s witnesses who have, like everyone else, the right to refuse blood products, and with that, the right to die. Racism is illegal....that means...always illegal...no get out of jail card for hard line sick racists. As far as racial predjuce being used as a cover for poor skills, I think you will find, we have homegrown incompetents of all colours, religions with all sexual orientations. Personally, as a white, British nurse, I truly have to bite my tongue to treat such people myself.

Anyone refusing care based on skin colour/ethnicity should be refused treatment. No ifs or buts. Its disgusting in our society that people are allowed to get away with such bigotry and blatant racism. ?

Having received a lot of NHS care in the last 3 years for 2 different primary cancers and spinal problems, I can honestly say the vast majority of the staff have not been British. In fact there is only one English nurse I particularly remember and that's only because he worked nights and his shoes squeaked! All my surgeons have been Asian, the nursing staff came from all over the world and they have all, without exception, been fabulous. Anyone who refuses treatment from staff due to racism should be sent home and have to start their process for treatment all over again; and should they be un?fortunate enough to be allocated staff that they disapprove of again, then the same thing should happen. If it means so much to anybody that they actually care about the ethnicity of the staff prepared to treat them then perhaps they should go private.

I had the kindest most caring surgeon who is also Indian . I think people Like this patient who wanted a white doctor are the most ignorant of society and should be treated as such .I would have said yes go home and wait for a white man to come along but it may be a long wait .i would have made sure it was a very long wait too .

Jucylucy the language problem will increase. Brexit has meant that we have lost tens of thousands of EU staff, most with excellent spoken English. They chose to leave due to the idea that as the country is leaving the EU, abuse is now acceptable. The government have stated that the shortfall of staff, nurses and doctors will be coming from Asia and Africa. Because these staff are now no longer given the right to stay after 3 years, they have fewer applicants. Frankly, beggars can’t be choosers. The poor language skills are considered a better option than no doctors at all.

Your posts are ace Solange.

Juicy ''So for me the language needs to be as good as the skills.''

of course, and that would apply to many white doctors too. However, OH remembers one patient who was clearly racist, when he was junior doc- who said he could not understand the Indian nurse who was treating him- making comments about her accent and pigeon English - when it was perfectly clear to all that her English was perfectly understandable to all staff and all previous patients.

It can also be difficult for foreign staff when working with very strong, regional accents, especially at first- and will need support.

Racism happens from all races, you just need to read Doreen Laurence to understand that ... disgusting woman. Perhaps she thinks only black firefighters should fight fires where predominantly black people live.

The comment from the surgeon about not feeling backed by management is right. Too many managers in the NHS have either been there for so many years that they have totally forgotten what life is like outside the hospital and also have to justify their position to the CEO. The CEOs are basically number crunchers , whose job is to balance the books -unlike the old Hospital Secretaries who had usually worked from the bottom up, knew the staff and also cared about them.
Mr Hancock's comment is wrong. All very well putting up notices saying that certain behaviour will not be tolerated, but it's pretty toothless. When have you heard of any patient being in court for treatment of any NHS staff? It actually needs to be made illegal that any staff within hospital walls are abused be it verbal or physical. Just because you "pay " for the privilege of free treatment , does not give you the right to refuse treatment just because you don't like the look of the person treating you!

I just don't understand this irrational dislike of fellow human beings because of their skin colour, nationality, race, gender etc. Quite honestly such people are rather pathetic.

And I'd say paying privately to choose colour of surgeon is just as wrong and illegal anyhow

Grandmablue - who says otherwise? What is the point of your comment. No-one has said here that a black patient should be able to choose the colour of their doctor/surgeon.

I used to see a consultant about my ear on a regular basis. Once I was seen by someone else (he happened to be black) and he really didn't understand my problem which the usual consultant did so I requested to be seen by the usual man. Nothing to do with the colour of anyone's skin. I wondered why everyone was so cross with me - now I realise! What do do in these circumstances when the person of colour is not competent?

It hurt my heart to watch it. The management should back him up. They should refuse those patients if they behave like that. What’s the matter with people.

Simple enough to explain your 'usual' ENT understood the problem perfectly and that you would like to see him again next time.

Some of the best Doctors and Consultants I’ve worked with aren’t British. There are so many talented doctors from India, Iraq etc. They are well trained and very caring. It was an excellent consultant urogynaecologist who repaired my prolapse almost 10 years ago and if I ever need more surgery I would ask for him. As a Nurse I honestly have to say I’ve never witnessed any racism or racial abuse but have heard colleagues who have. Patients have to remember these doctors could save their lives.

Graninda .... especially when they call you a racist, not because you’ve complained about their colour but their competence. Peter Duffys book ‘Whistle in the Wind’ is a perfect example of exemplary consultant being chased out by incompetent colleagues with a dirty nasty little agenda.

Management do not support staff in the nhs, unfortunately..