No EU NHS checks?

Apparently the European Union has barred the British NHS from checking the qualifications of doctors and nurses coming here from the EU.

Instead, new rules mean they will be given electronic passports which will automatically allow them to practise in hospitals and doctors surgeries anywhere within the 28 Member States without any prior checks, including when coming to the UK.

The EU will start issuing these passports to nurses, midwives and some other medical staff this year, and doctors in 2018.

This means a Bulgarian doctor could apply to work in the UK through Bulgarian authorities, and we would have just two months to verify he has the training and experience he claims to have.

It will be up to the individual nations to do back-checks on each applicant.

What if these aren’t carried out properly?

Would you like an unqualified doctor, or one who has been banned from practising, performing surgery on you?

As well as this, if the two-month deadline is missed, doctors and nurses will be issued with an electronic passport anyway, regardless of whether the applicant has a previous history of medical wrongdoing or poor care.

This is simply wrong and does not make any sense at all.

If you vote to stay in the EU and the above is another stupid EU law we will have to accept.

Terry Palmer

South Lea Avenue, Hoyland, Barnsley, S74