Today I went to St Georges Hospital in London to visit a very sick friend.  I was met by a beautiful Staff Nurse from Namibia a country of only 1.2 million people.  She has been in the UK on a tier 1 visa for the last 3 years.  She is heading home in a couple of months for good. 

I asked her why she came to the UK to nurse our sick and she said ”One night I was surfing the Internet and the media always hold up England as a promised land.  Frankly I know now it is not and I love my home.”  I couldn’t help thinking when she returns home she will be missed.

My friend was taken to their new ward by a porter from Ghana who only started working that night but his happy go luck smile was infectious and had us all smiling in no time as he spoke about the World Cup and Football.  A truly great bloke.

On the ward we were greeted by a Nurse called Annie from the Phillipinnes and and another from Nigeria.  The Consultant was an Irish lady who clearly cared a great deal about the wealfare of her patients and her team.  Most of the people I met were on Tier 1 visas including the young Dr from Canada I promised to help complete their tier 1 visa as a small token of my admiration for the great job they were doing.  If ever there was a reason to celebrate tier 1 visas and UK Immigration it was then. 

I walked away from St Georges Hospital and their team tonight knowing my loved one was in the best hands and those hands where only there together through Immigration.  As for the idea of racism well let us just say I delighted the banter was constant about who had the best team