A SPANISH nurse who spent just 30 days in the role before coming to the UK has been told she must improve her English.

Libia Arias Garcia was found to have insufficient knowledge of English to practise safely or effectively, at a Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) hearing earlier this month.

The panel heard Garcia, who worked as a Band 5 nurse at Withybush Hospital, qualified as a registered nurse in Spain in 2013.

However she spent just one month working in a nursing home before moving to the UK in 2016.

During July and October 2016, concerns were raised by co-workers about Garcia’s understanding and ability to communicate.

They said they were anxious about giving her responsibilities, and patients and relatives also reported her being hard to understand.

Garcia was moved onto a more structured training programme, and supervised by a ward sister.

A review took place in December 2016, and several issues were highlighted, including Garcia’s knowledge of basic medication and failure to identify urinary retention in a patient.

In January 2017, it was agreed to place Garcia on formal capability process for four weeks.

Around this time she resigned from the hospital, after accepting a job as a registered nurse at Park House Court nursing home.

The NMC found Garcia understood her English skills needed to be of a high enough standard to communicate with patients and other staff, and she had a “clear commitment to nursing”.

The panel said Garcia’s inability to communicate effectively in English put patients at risk of harm, and her fitness to practice was currently impaired.

It imposed a six-month order restricting her from working as a registered nurse until she has achieved a score of seven or above in the International English Language Testing System (IELTS).

She must also notify the NMC of any nursing appointment, paid or unpaid, in the UK or elsewhere, and inform any potential employers of the NMC order.