Readers' Letters Of This Week

From The Evening Standard (Thursday):

WHY is no mention made about the thousands of brilliant nurses from Commonwealth countries who staffed our hospitals in the Eighties and Nineties?

Most of these professionals were forced to return home when their two-year visas ran out. They were replaced by nurses from the EU, many of whom struggled with working English for quite some time.

If there are sensible working visas that encourage medical and nursing staff to come over here - from the Commonwealth, the EU and further afield - Brexit will not be a problem for the NHS.

Sophie Clement-Jones

From The Evening Standard (Friday):

Contrary to your headline ["Brexit fears of NHS staff crisis", July 25], the real crisis is one of retention of NHS staff who cannot afford to live in the capital. NHS nurses in London typically work a 12-hour shift but if they live outside the capital they have to travel for two or more hours a day. This is unsustainable.

Looking to Europe for a solution to a British-made problem seems an off move, especially as there is a shortage of nurses in Europe at present.

Dr Kate Brown.

There are inherent logical flaws in both letters, but they appear to be based on facts/experience and both are asking the right questions.