Research carried out on 3,000 healthcare workers has led to worrying results. Hundreds of them report having colleagues with false qualifications.
The consequences? An inability to respond correctly in urgent situations and the need to look up YouTube videos about how to perform basic medical procedures.
False papers in circulation
The research, carried out by RTL Nieuws, follows Dutch police’s concerns that violent criminals are working in the healthcare sector with falsified papers.
Curious to see if this was the case and understand the scale of the issue, RTL Nieuws employed the help of healthcare trade unions to distribute a questionnaire to almost 3,000 workers.
The results at least partially confirm the police’s suspicions.
A concerning 643 respondents expressed certainty that some colleagues have false papers, and a further 607 respondents said they suspect this is the case.
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False papers, in this case, mean anything from false diplomas to false competencies or conduct certificates.
Unable to carry out basic procedures
As you can imagine, the consequences are worrying. Unqualified workers often don’t know how to perform even the most basic medical procedures, causing patients to experience unnecessary discomfort.
In the report, a nursing home worker describes seeing their colleague inserting a catheter: “The patient was in a lot of pain, I just saw blood from below.”
The colleague in question was found to lack the right qualifications.
Money is the driving factor
What would cause someone to put someone’s well-being on the line like that? Money, of course.
The research found that respondents encountered many problems when self-employed workers were hired as extra help during night shifts or other gaps in hospital schedules.
As independent workers, they can earn a higher hourly wage, meaning they often make between €10,000 and €12,000 per month.
Since, for some, money is their main motivator and responsibility is not their main concern, these workers also often work dangerously long hours.
Some healthcare employees report their colleagues working a day and night shift in succession but simply falling asleep at night and completely ignoring their pagers.
Stricter checks
The circulation of false papers in the healthcare sector not only takes advantage of vulnerable people but also leaves qualified workers in uncomfortable situations where they have to clean up someone else’s mess.
Trade unions are therefore making an appeal to employers to tackle this issue urgently.
Despite the fact that the number of self-employed healthcare workers is rapidly increasing, their qualifications need to be properly checked first thing, they warn employers.
ActiZ, the trade association for approximately 400 health organisations, is also urging the Ministry of Health to introduce stricter criteria for determining who can become a healthcare worker.
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