James O'Brien Spells Out How Brexit Damaged The NHS
7 May 2019, 10:52
As the NHS begins a recruitment drive to hire tens of thousands of foreign nurses, James O'Brien explained how Brexit has been so damaging for our health service.
With so many vacancies to fill on the wards, leaders have targeted overseas doctors and nurses.
But James picked out one key line from the Brexit debate which has been so damaging for the NHS: "Why can't we train our own?"
That was the phrase used by Brexiters when people argued that staff from the EU are extremely important in the health service. And James says that proved extremely problematic for the NHS.
Speaking on his LBC show, he said: "The NHS was weaponised. That's why the phrase 'Why can't we train our own?' became so commonplace during that campaign.
"Whenever I turned on my radio or opened my newspaper or flicked on the television, I would be confronted by the usual suspects saying 'Why can't we train our own?'
"Our own? I don't care where you were born. I care how good you are at nursing."
His full monologue is a powerful take on the NHS. Watch it at the top of the page.
