General practice nurses (GPNs) are ‘often’ seeing patients who have experienced issues or complications after having surgery abroad, the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) Congress has heard.
Those among the profession are reportedly concerned that the impact of what has been described as ‘health tourism’ – where patients are opting for cheaper, private treatments aboard – is ‘causing a strain’ on the NHS.
Nurses attending RCN Congress in Liverpool this week discussed the impact of health tourism abroad, how nurses should respond and the role of the profession in educating patients on the risks, including infection, complications, and incompatibility with NHS standards.
Leading the discussion was Samantha Spence, representing the RCN North Central London Inner Branch, who warned long NHS waiting lists and high private health care costs were pushing more UK patients to seek treatment abroad for procedures such as bariatric surgery, dentistry, fertility treatment, and cosmetic surgery.
‘What’s clear is health tourism is not going away, and we as healthcare professionals, as nurses, must consider how to respond and consider what could help protect patients and support the NHS, whilst also respecting people’s choices,’ she told congress.
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During the discussion Ms Spence noted that GPNs were the ‘front line’ and ‘often’ seeing patients who have returned from overseas operations with complications.
Practice nurse and RCN GPN Forum member La Toya de Freitas joined the discussion and stressed that nurses in general practice ‘see a lot of patients who have had surgery abroad’.
‘The view of our general practice nurses is that it is causing a strain on the NHS because we’ve seen them when things have gone wrong,’ she said.
Ms de Freitas said it was her view that a system be put in place where nurses in the UK can see patients before their treatments abroad and where overseas providers share information with professionals in the UK.
‘My personal view is [that] we have a system in place where we can actually see them when they have a surgery and come to us so that we can advise them, so we don’t see them when things are wrong. We see them before that,’ she explained.
‘I think it’s a system problem. If we can put something in place where the providers overseas can share information with us.’
She stressed that she agreed that nurses should ‘support choice’.
‘As somebody who’s come from overseas, I might want to go and have surgery in my country. My family are there, and they can support me. I would like to have that choice,’ she told congress.
Many other nurses shared their experiences of caring for patients who had gone through complications, including sepsis and necrotic wounds, following a surgery abroad.
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Nicola Smith, who works in a district nursing team, said that over the last couple of years she had seen some ‘horrendous wounds coming back’ from those having surgery overseas.
‘It’s really scary,’ she added.
She said it was vital that nurses worked to help educate people, especially the younger generation, about ‘the dangers of having surgery abroad’ and to ask the right questions about what providers are offering.
Meanwhile, Joanna Grant, from the Children and Young People: Continuing and Community Care Forum, gave the perspective of a patient.
‘I have had a three-year journey with weight loss and had bariatric surgery. I had my surgery under the NHS – it took three years. I was told, as a follow up, that if I needed any other surgery, I would need to pay for it myself. So, this is what I’m considering now.
‘As a nurse, I maybe have a bit of a clue what I’m looking for, but where do I go for advice?’
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She said this was ‘the crux’ of the issue and something that both nurses and the RCN Council should consider.
Other debates at this year’s RCN Congress have explored concerns around general practice nursing being a ‘forgotten career’ and around experienced nurses ‘losing’ clinical skills as they progress the career ladder.
The conference has also heard from RCN general secretary and chief executive Professor Nicola Ranger on the need for both GPNs and NHS nurses to be given an update on pay.
