Poorer ratings for hospitals with more overseas nurses

A study of 46 NHS hospitals has found that those with a higher number of nurses trained overseas have poorer ratings from patients.

As the number of nurses across the country has reduced, the amount recruited from overseas has increased. The number registering to work in the UK after training abroad has nearly doubled since 2013, rising from 4,305 to 8,183 in the last two years.

12,000 patients took part in the survey, which was undertaken by the University of Southampton and Kings College London.

The study found that hospitals who had the highest number of nurses from abroad also had the highest level of patient dissatisfaction, with patients reporting that they were less likely to feel treated with dignity, and more likely to struggle to understand staff.

The study states “Use of non-UK educated nurses in English NHS hospitals is associated with lower patient satisfaction. Importing nurses from abroad to substitute for domestically-educated nurses may negatively impact quality of care.”

Study co-author, Professor Anne Marie Rafferty, from King’s College London, said “Language differences, cultural expectations, and professional norms of different countries may all contribute to patients’ perceptions and create challenges for rapid and effective decision-making for acutely ill hospitalised patients.”

Professor Peter Griffiths, co-author, said that the study showed the importance of providing more support to overseas nurses, and boosting the supply of nurses from the UK.

He said “Relying on bringing in large numbers of foreign educated nurses to make up the shortfall is not a simple solution and may not be effective.”

A spokesperson from the Department of Health said “Overseas nurses are a crucial part of the NHS team but they must be highly qualified, demonstrate care and compassion, and have good communication skills. The Nursing and Midwifery Council has strict criteria to make sure this is the case.

“We know that well supported staff provide better care to patients and this includes making sure we have the right number of staff. The aim of our plans set out in the Spending Review is to increase the number of additional home-grown nurses we have in our hospitals – we expect 23,000 more by 2020.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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