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Brexit: EU nurses are 'suffering racist abuse and heading home', a Parliamentary inquiry is told Brexit: EU nurses are 'suffering racist abuse and heading home', a Parliamentary inquiry is told
(about 2 hours later)
Nurses from EU countries are going home after suffering racist abuse from patients following the Brexit vote, a hospital chief has revealed.Nurses from EU countries are going home after suffering racist abuse from patients following the Brexit vote, a hospital chief has revealed.
The head of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust – one of the biggest in the country – blamed the Brexit “shockwave” for adding to a growing recruitment crisis. The head of University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust – one of the biggest in the country – blamed a Brexit “shockwave” for adding to a growing recruitment crisis.
Dame Julie Moore said: “I have had some staff from the EU, from southern Ireland, looking to go back.Dame Julie Moore said: “I have had some staff from the EU, from southern Ireland, looking to go back.
“Of great concern to me is some of the incidents of abuse that some of my staff have suffered from patients following Brexit, racist abuse. “Of great concern to me is some of the incidents of abuse that some of my staff have suffered from patients following Brexit; racist abuse.
“And, if we wish to attract international staff over here, then I think we are going to have to think very carefully about the messages we give and how we treat our staff.”“And, if we wish to attract international staff over here, then I think we are going to have to think very carefully about the messages we give and how we treat our staff.”
The shocking evidence, reported by the Birmingham Mail, was given to a House of Lords select committee, which is investigating the state of NHS finances. Dame Julie was speaking to members of the House of Lords who are holding an inquiry into NHS finances, Birmingham Mail reported.
The trust headed by Dame Julie runs the 1,000-bed Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston, Birmingham.The trust headed by Dame Julie runs the 1,000-bed Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Edgbaston, Birmingham.
She is also interim Chief Executive of the nearby Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs Heartlands, Good Hope and Solihull Hospitals. She is also interim chief executive of the nearby Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust, which runs three other hospitals.
Speaking at Westminster, Dame Julie warned that hospitals across the country were struggling to recruit staff, partly because of the “shockwave” of Brexit. Dame Julie said: “We have traditionally ... looked to the international market to come [to the UK], but I have to say Brexit has sent a bit of a shockwave through some of the staff we would have traditionally recruited.”
She said: “We have benefited as a country greatly from international collaborations and I would hate to see that lost in all of this.
“It’s not just that we want to use them as a workforce. I think the exchange of knowledge and research are vitally important to the NHS.“It’s not just that we want to use them as a workforce. I think the exchange of knowledge and research are vitally important to the NHS.
 “At the moment I would say we haven’t got enough nurses, doctors, clinical professionals, managers, anybody at the moment, and I’m not confident we are training enough to meet that demand.” “At the moment I would say we haven’t got enough nurses, doctors, clinical professionals, managers, anybody at the moment, and I’m not confident we are training enough to meet that demand.”
Last month, official Home Office statistics revealed a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by police following the EU referendum. Last month, official Home Office statistics revealed a 41 per cent increase in the number of racially or religiously aggravated crimes recorded by police in July.
They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the 23 June vote to leave. They correlated with earlier figures which showed the number of alleged racially or religiously aggravated offences rose by 58 per cent in the week following the June Brexit vote.
The inquiry was told that, at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, around six per cent of nursing vacancies - just over one in 20 - are unfilled. The House of Lords inquiry was told that, at University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, around six per cent of nursing vacancies – just over one in 20 – were unfilled.
But Dame Julie said the problem was much worse at some other hospitals, adding: “Some trusts are running with vacancy rates around ten to 15 per cent.” But Dame Julie said the problem was much worse at other hospitals, adding: “Some trusts are running with vacancy rates around 10 to 15 per cent.”
The Government has cut the Department of Health’s budget for non-frontline services, such as medical training and public health, by £1.5bn this year.
It has allowed Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt to claim he has won an extra £10 billion for frontline NHS services, when many billions have been diverted from other health budgets.