RNZ, Wellington, October 19, 2024
From ‘emboldening racists’ to being ‘disrespected and excluded,’ it seems that everyone had an opinion on what language nurses in New Zealand hospitals should be speaking.
Three directives in hospitals for nurses to speak only English in clinical or public spaces have come to light this week.
Health New Zealand at first stressed this was for safety’s sake and to reduce confusion, but later tempered this to say it trusted staff to use their judgement.
The country’s health service increasingly relies on international nurses and doctors.
RNZ’s coverage of the directives prompted a flurry of listener and reader feedback which was divided firmly into those in favour, or against, the use of languages other than English.
Feeling threatened
One recalled their father who was dying of cancer feeling embarrassed and vulnerable while receiving a bed bath.
“Fully naked, while two Filipino nurses bathing him were laughing and chatting to each other in their language across his body as if he was not there, or worse he worried they were laughing about him.”
Many people shared similar experiences of feeling left out while either in the hospital as patients or with family members.
Christina said that that feeling had nothing to do with prejudice or bias.
“I was recently in a hospital with a family member and did feel ‘on the outer’… the dominant language being spoken by the health carers in the emergency area was not English – pretty difficult to follow what is happening at the same time trying to maintain understanding what was going on,” she said.
Liz said that repeatedly, foreign nurses and caregivers spoke in their own language to each other, in her presence while with her dying mother.
“It was unsettling and divisive. I could have well done without that,” she said.
Another person wrote, saying, “Medical staff should only speak English, Te Reo or Sign Language. I have experienced Asian nurses having conversations in their own language. I felt threatened as I did not know what they were saying. It is so unprofessional of them. If they choose to come to New Zealand, they must speak English!”
One person who had been in and out of Wellington Hospital over the past year said that they had complained when staff once spoke their own language in front of them.
“I felt disrespected and excluded. I complained and received an apology. I am supportive of nurses or hospital staff speaking their own language when away from patients, off the ward, or staff room,” the person said.
Nurses respond
Many nurses voiced their opinions on the matter.
Former Nurse Sandy said that they all used to speak English and it would be “highly offensive” if nurses were speaking a language that a patient would not understand while attending to them.
“I am a nurse. People speaking English tell me that they feel overlooked and disrespected when people speak other languages they do not understand while in their presence and discussing their care. If we put the patient at the centre of care, we need to use their language,” another said.
A senior nurse spending time with a family member recently at the Waitakere Hospital in West Auckland said that they did not hear English spoken in the three hours they were there.
“Dangerous, culturally intolerable – the irony is that so many Operating Theatre Nurses have spent a fortune to learn English to a level that enables them to get onto a CAP course. In nursing, communication is everything in providing safe care.”
‘Racist Nonsense’
Many felt the criticism of international nurses was unjustified, or racist.
“This is another case of racism in New Zealand. I have been in a hospital where staff have talked to each other in a common language, not English, and was thrilled that they could do that. They spoke to me in English. That is all I needed.” Julie said.
Di was grateful to all the nurses.
“I think what is really disrespectful is to be racist to those caring for you. I think that the government is emboldening racists to be overt rather than covert. We old white people need to speak up when our peers/family spout racist nonsense,” she said.
HC’s father died in the hospital last year and her mother was there now. If international nurses found some comfort in speaking their own language so far from home, there was no problem. Sally, who spent time in Waikato Hospital last year, said that the care she received was outstanding.
“Sometimes staff speaking their first language can speed up processes. Kiwis need to get over this racist attitude and be thankful we have these amazing health workers propping up our fragile health system. We are a multicultural country where we hear many languages spoken in all sorts of settings. Embrace it and think about their comfort and not just your own,” she said.
After a recent hospital stay, Dee agreed.
“I thought that it was wonderful that our international nurses could communicate with each other in their own language. I thought this improved communication and safety. It should be encouraged not discouraged.”
Support for English
A health worker told RNZ: “I work in a ward in a large North Island hospital. Clinical care of patients and medications must be discussed in a language that the whole team understands because that is the only way potential and actual errors are picked up.
“When staff are new to both the country, the specialist clinical area and the medications that are used in NZ hospitals there is an increase in mistakes (and yes, there has been a very significant increase in medication errors), which is a threat to patient safety.
“No one has a problem with staff speaking to each other in their first language if patients are not being discussed. No one has a problem with staff addressing patients in their first language if that is also the first language of the patient. But that is not what is happening. Staff are walking into patient rooms and quite obviously discussing the patient in a language that the patient does not understand.
“To add to an already complicated situation, patients in our clinical area have cancer and are incredibly vulnerable. Two patients and their whānau in particular wanted to complain about incidents but felt unable. The complaints process is not anonymous, the nurses involved would know who had complained and the patients were frightened of repercussions.
“They were also afraid of being accused of racism, as the charge nurse is the same ethnicity as the nurses involved (even though she leads with integrity and this would not have been an issue, the patients are not to know that).
“A colleague who did escalate a concern on behalf of a patient was herself accused of racism by the nurse involved (even though my colleague is also an internationally qualified nurse but of a different ethnicity). I also escalated an issue on behalf of a patient to the nurse in charge of the shift. She refused to escalate it to the charge nurse because she was worried that it would be perceived as racist, even though it was a particularly serious complaint.
“There is nowhere to go with any of this, and it should be obvious to (Health Minister) Dr Shane Reti that if nurses had been using good judgement with regards to the appropriate use of their language in clinical settings we would not have this issue popping up all over New Zealand.”
The above Report has been published under a special agreement with www.rnz.co.nz
