Nhs No 2 Posting

[jennyjoan]

I had to get an eye test at my local hospital yesterday and I was treated like a queen.

I must say they were all foreigners but fabulous English speaking. From the lady who kept apologising for putting stinging drops in to my eyes to the lady who absolutely insisted on bringing me to the lift.

I could not believe it. The NHS definitely is being run by overseas nurses, doctors etc and thank God for them.

I am still reeling from the kindness to me yesterday. Long may it last.

[jennyjoan]

^^ then had to go to my doctor's this morning for a repeat prescription - dour, sullen and didn't want to be there - receptionist. Mind you their fault I had to go back as they didn't give me the full prescription last Thursday and I had to drive to another practice at that. enough said.

[ummmm]

The ward I was recently on was fairly an even mixture of skin tones but the majority spoke with English accents.

They were brilliant, all of them.

[bobbs202]

That's great Conne, hope you're okay now?

[jennyjoan]

thanks Bobs - at least the optician was very honest - he said "results will be out within 6 weeks" and I said that's long - he said it is usually two weeks but there are so many people out there needing these tests. That's ok by me.

Then the black lady insisting and insisting on leading me to the lift. Ah Jesus I'm not that bad yet but bless her wee heart.

[bobbs202]

^^^^ you're a ray of sunshine , sure you are x

[Rockrose]

When I was in hospital 3 weeks ago there was 1 foreign dr!

[New Judge]

//The NHS definitely is being run by overseas nurses,...//

Which is all very well. But it begs two questions:

1. Why is that? Why are we not training sufficient nurses of our own.

2. What does it mean for the donor countries who train up their nurses (probably at, comparatively, a greater expense than costs us in the UK) only to see them clear off to where there are richer pickings?

I must say that for a country which seems in many respects to care more about those overseas than it does those here, it seems a particularly thoughtless and selfish strategy to pursue.

[jennyjoan]

I couldn't tell you Judge - all I know I got excellent personal care and that'll do me - especially when you go in for tests you are in a pretty vulnerable state and for to get a little TLC - it goes down well in my books.

[pixie374]

While there are so many nurses from other countries willing to work here, there is no reason to need to pay British ones a living wage. Just competition.

[Mamyalynne]

My consultant offered to phone me a cab and take me to the front of the unit on my last glaucoma appointment - she's lovely.

[Zacs-Master]

What do you mean by ‘strategy’, NJ.

And whilst you’re formulating a reply, it’s not just the UK who have a shortage:
https://www.rasmussen.edu/degrees/nursing/blog/nursing-shortage-real-reason/

[ummmm]

Just because someone is not white doesn't mean they aren't from the UK.

[New Judge]

I don't need any time to formulate a reply. By "strategy" I mean the deliberate dependence on imported labour as a means of avoiding the tiresome problem of training our own. And of course it doesn't only apply to nursing.

It just strikes me as odd that a country seems perfectly at ease encouraging trained nursing staff to work here instead of in the country which trained them and which probably needs them just as much or maybe more than we do. Unless, of course, those countries don't need trained nurses themselves or who have sufficient funds to train a surplus as some sort of benevolent export drive.

[Zacs-Master]

(Well, actually you appear to have needed 20 mins, but let’s just pretend otherwise)

The NHS has serious problems in recruiting and retaining nursing and midwifery staff.
The underlying causes of these problems include pay, the changing nature of jobs, how valued the staff feel, and other employment opportunities. I’d hardly call they a strategy.

[Zacs-Master]

That.

[spathiphyllum]

I bet a lot of the doctors working in the NHS were educated in the UK. I haven't a clue though and i'd only place 50p.

[Spicerack]

Zacs-Master //(Well, actually you appear to have needed 20 mins, but let’s just pretend otherwise)//

Well, actually that isn't true.
Let's just pretend, lol.

[goodgoalie]

One of the problems of training our own nurses is that the rules were changed, so that now for any of the higher-paid RN nursing positions, or for advanced practice nursing, you need to have a bachelor's degree. This never used to be the case, and the prospect of having to fork out £9,000 a year in fees has put off a large number of those who otherwise would have pursued nursing as a career.

[Peter Pedant]

Jesus eye OPs today
delivered at 14 30 for a 15 00 h appt
no consultant so the short juniors did the whole lot unsupervised

30 min wait - the waiting times is chalked up on the wall for those whose sight allows them to read
then 45m later 60 min - to 90 mins and seen at 120 min 1700.

My eyes? oh OK which I kinda knew
pressures below 15 mm hg ( good )

it is what we payh for

[retrocop]

//it is what we payh for//

If you can read this PP it is my experience in the Royal Marsden Cancer Hospital that you wait a long time for all those overworked foreign doctors and nurses to deal with all the foreign health tourists in the massive two waiting rooms. Still. When my Capecitabine chemo treatment is about £600 per monthly dose it is money well spent over the year. :-)