This is abject stupidity of the highest order but of course the Eurocrats don't have to worry as they can go private in the hospital of their choice and not worry about incompetent staff. In any job you have to prove that you are both competent and capable in order to get it. with something like the health service this is even more important so why the hell are you crippling the selection and vetting processes by banning the safety tests.
PATIENTS’ lives have been put at risk by EU rules banning safety tests for foreign nurses working in Britain, experts claimed yesterday.
Thousands of nurses from eastern Europe and other parts of the EU can now work in the UK without language and competency checks because tests discriminate against them, Brussels warned.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) had insisted that foreigners prove they have worked at least 450 hours in the last three years or undergo a refresher course.
But the organisation that regulates nursing in Britain has been forced to drop the rules after pressure from the European Commission and the Department of Health claiming it was breaking EU law on the “freedom of movement”.
Now all nurses will need is a diploma from their country showing they are qualified – with no checks on their medical skills or language abilities.
However, British nurses and those from outside the EU must still prove their clinical skills are up to standard. Last night patients’ groups and others condemned Brussels red tape for putting lives in danger.
UKIP health spokesman David Campbell Bannerman said: “People’s health and in some cases their very lives will be put at risk at the altar of being good Europeans.” Katherine Murphy, of the Patients Association, said: “It beggars belief that patients are to be put at such obvious risk from EU legislation.
“The standards for nurses should be the same whether from the UK or abroad. Anyone working for the NHS – nurse, doctor, other health care professional, health care assistant – must be able to be understood by the patient and must demonstrate they are safe to treat patients. This entire fiasco risks every patient’s safety.”
Dr Peter Carter, chief executive and general secretary of the Royal College of Nursing, said: “Patients need to know that the people looking after them have up-to-date skills and are suitably trained and experienced, so the balance between freedom of movement and patient safety must be maintained.
“Both regulators and employers need the right powers to ensure that nurses are clinically up-to-date and competent.”
The NMC added: “We are now issuing guidance to employers reminding them of their responsibilities when vetting candidates and will produce new guidance for nurses and midwives in the near future.”
A European Commission spokeswoman said last night: “EU legislation does not prevent the UK requiring continuous professional training for EU-trained nurses who are already registered in the UK but do not possess recent working experience.”
