Swine flu: Refugee doctors to be drafted in

Published on Wednesday 12 August 2009 21:12

REFUGEE doctors, medical students and retirees may be drafted in to Scottish hospitals later this year to cope with the massive demands of a full-blown swine flu pandemic, health chiefs have said.

New guidance from the Scottish Government has warned that a quarter of hospital staff may be absent in the event of a major outbreak later this year, leading to cancelled operations and huge staff shortages.

The NHS has been told to contemplate drastic plans to ensure hospitals have cover during the worst-affected periods.

Qualified refugees who have fled to Scotland and are currently out of work could be asked to help staff wards. Health chiefs are also contemplating plans to allow final-year medical students to graduate without having to pass their exams, so they can be registered. Recently retired doctors and nurses may also be asked to come back to work.

The preparations are being made amid warnings that a major new wave of the illness will hit the country later this year. Cases in Scotland appear to have flattened off in recent weeks, but experts say this may only be a temporary respite.

Health secretary Nicola Sturgeon said yesterday that UK ministers would decide within the next few weeks who would be prioritised for the swine flu vaccine being developed by manufacturers.

But the Scottish Government confirmed the first vaccines would not be ready for use in Scotland until the autumn. Scientists need several weeks following delivery of the vaccine this month to assess its safety and ensure it is properly licensed.

It comes amid concerns about the safety of using the antiviral drug Tamiflu to treat swine flu symptoms. The new advice to hospitals, sent by the NHS this week, offers a stark warning to patients about the likely impact of a renewed outbreak. It warns that some normal work, such as elective surgery, is likely to be suspended. Staff in these areas "could be redeployed to deal with the pandemic".

The guidance also suggests that more drastic measures may be required to staff the wards. "Staff who are job-ready and registered but not currently working, such as refugee doctors and nurses, could be a useful additional pool of staff," it said.

The guidance states that retirees would be the most "effective" group of emergency staff to call on. It also recommends calling on independent healthcare staff, and medical workers engaged in academic and research work as another potential pool. Officials say that the measures will only be necessary in the worst-case scenario.