Should nurses boycott the new requirement to check passports from overseas patients?

Taking effect from April 2017, health professionals will be asked to check upon arrival that patients admitted are UK citizens. Plans announced by health secretary, Jeremy Hunt state that patients who are not UK citizens will be charged upfront unless their care is urgent and must be treated immediately. The latter will be invoiced later.

Hunt’s plans are set up as a way of trying to regain the £500 million cost of treating oversea patients and hopes the new measures in place will recover costs by 2017-18. The move was put in motion after an unfavourable report from the Commons public accounts committee.

Evan Luckes, a nurse who wrote an opinion piece for the independent stated it was unfair to put patients against nurses and create the persona that nurses should be feared and be the barrier between receiving treatment.  He has further called on nurses to take a stand and make it clear to not check passports and support one another, which no doubt will create a backlash from management.

Docs not Cops a NHS Staff and patient activist group have been campaigning against these changes as they strongly believe that everyone has the right to access healthcare, regardless of their immigration status or ability to pay. A relationship between a doctor or health professional and patient is relied upon trust and respect. Having passport checks to check eligibility breaks this trust and potentially goes against the basis of the NHS. “The National Health Service was built on the principle that healthcare is a right not a privilege” with this in mind a number of NHS staff and patients are fighting this core principle remains.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you agree with Hunt that it is an effective way to recover costs or should the government look at other ways to recover these costs?

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In the news: The NHS can’t afford to lose EU Nurses

With 24,000 jobs currently unfilled in England alone, and Article 50 finally being triggered. Can the NHS really afford to lose nurses from the European Union?

Since Brexit was announced on 23^rd June 2016 it has slowly been causing ripples within the NHS. The Times recently reported that between September and December 2015 an average of 797 nurses per month registered to work in the UK, yet in the same period in 2016 the number fell dramatically to 194 nurses per month. With uncertainty for European residents it is no wonder nurses from the EU are much less keen to want to both work and stay in the UK.

The shortfall of nurses can be found in hospitals across the country with pressures being placed on all aspects of the NHS, this has been a long running issue and can be blamed on both Brexit and the failure to long term plan. Further to this, matters don’t approve when an introduction of loans instead of bursaries for nurse training was announced resulting in a 23% drop in applications. To plug the gap approximately 7% nurses were recruited from the EU but that gap could disappear as EU nationals are stuck in limbo as Theresa May has refused to guarantee EU nationals the right to stay.

Chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing said, “The government is turning off the supply of qualified nurses from around the world at the very moment the health service is a staffing crisis like never before.” “EU nationals working in the NHS need a clear signal from Theresa May that they are wanted and welcome to stay. Her failure to guarantee their right to remain is leaving soaring numbers heading for the door. Few are able to live with such uncertainty.”

Nursing Personnel provide flexible temporary and permanent work for a variety of locations across the UK. Working for an agency allows you the flexibility to work for the NHS whilst working around your personal life. Register today to start receiving both great benefits and competitive hourly rates. *Applicants must have a minimum of 6months experience and the correct right to work documents.

Amended April Pay Dates

Please note that due to the tax year end, related software update and the Easter Bank Holidays we have amended some of our April pay dates as follows:

Normal payroll processing will resume after the Easter weekend:

Patient Safety Week March 12-18th 2017

This week we celebrated National Patient Safety Week and the importance in ensuring that patient safety should be the first and foremost agenda on everyone’s mind. As healthcare professionals it is vital that you take the necessary steps in preventing accidents and be that barrier against harm.

In support of Patient Safety Week our lovely team of Clinical Nurse interviewers took time out of their busy interview schedule to put on patient gowns and promote patient safety.

New Trusts Awarded

We are excited to announce that Nursing Personnel have recently been awarded a number of new trusts in Wales!

So what does this mean for you?

• Better paid hourly rates
• Broad range of shifts including nights, days and weekends
• Work available for Nurses and Healthcare assistants

Why work in Wales?

“Find your epic…deep in the soul of Wales”  with work available across the welsh region there is number of areas to discover and explore whilst you work. Wales is full of natural beauty from valleys, hills and coasts so when you’re not working a shift there is plenty to keep you entertained.

Interested?

Contact your coordinator on 0333 043 6779 today to discuss relocating, rates or booking shifts. If you are not registered with Nursing Personnel please register here .