Immigrants should not expect special treatment in hospital because of their culture, says London Mayor Boris Johnson

• Top Tory says 'We live in England. I think people should speak English.'
• Mayor says migrants should accept: 'When in Rome, do as Romans do'
• Intervention comes after top surgeon calls for special NHS 'culture training' 
• Johnson also calls for 10 fold tax increase on empty homes in London

Immigrants being treated on the NHS should not expect special treatment because of their religion, Boris Johnson said this morning.

The London Mayor said nurses should not be forced to undergo 'culture training' to learn how to deal with Muslim patients.

He said: 'We live in England. We live in London. I think people should speak English. When in Rome do as the Romans do.'

The inflammatory comments came after he was challenged by a Muslim nurse who said she did not think it was right for NHS workers to change their ways.

It came after a leading heart surgeon said NHS staff needed special training to help patients from specific religious and cultural beliefs.  

Aiman Alzetani, a consultant surgeon at Southampton General Hospital, said there were issues like washing before and after meals, shaking hands with members of the opposite sex and male relatives seeing female Islamic patients that nurses needed to understand.

Mr Alzetani wants a pocket or ward guide on all religions and cultures for use across the NHS. He also wants to see 'culture champions' in hospitals offering advice and support.

He said: 'It can be a source of frustration for clinical staff when patients do not seem to be cooperating, but in the case of Muslim patients, for example, it could be something as simple as someone trying to pass them food in their left hand, which they wash with, instead of their right.

Boris Johnson - wearing a turban at the Shree Swaminarayan Mandir Hindu Temple - has praised London's diverse population. But he said this morning that traditional British culture needed to be respected in hospitals

'Muslim patients are also required to hand-wash before and after eating and, if bed-bound, may need a portable handwash facility which, again, can seem odd or unnecessary to those who are not familiar with such processes.

'It is not widely known that Muslims are not allowed to shake hands with a member of the opposite sex, that intoxicating drugs are not permissible or that not all male family members are allowed to visit a female relative without her hijab on.

'These are all situations that could cause issues between staff and patients, but they could be easily avoided with some basic training or information to help guide staff.'

But Mr Johnson said patients should accept traditional British standards of care - as long as Nurses and other health staff were being 'polite'.

He said: 'I believe in being polite. If you can be polite to people then you should be polite. 

'But we live in England, or rather more accurately we live in London, and I think people should speak English.

'I don't think anyone should take offence if people do things which they have been accustomed to do all their lives.

 And when in Rome, do as the Romans do. That's where we are. Well, we're not in Rome, we're in London.'

His view was backed by a caller to the phone in who said she was a Muslim convert but did not believe nurses should have to cater for different cultures.

She said: 'I'm a Muslim. I'm a convert.

 But as far as I am concerned it doesn't affect my religion or my beliefs if someone gives me a packet of crisps with their left hand. It's not offensive.' 

Mr Johnson, speaking on his weekly LBC radio phone in 'Call Boris this morning, also called for council taxes to hike taxes on empty homes by 1,000 per cent.

He said wealthy foreigners should not be able to use homes in London as 'assets' while many families in the capital struggled to buy their first home.

The London Mayor said: 'What is certainly not acceptable is people buying homes as assets and then keeping them empty in Kensington and Chelsea or Westminster or whatever as a bank balance in the sky.

 That is no good.

'What we are certainly saying to councils who have powers to impose punitive council tax on such people is do so - whack up the council tax... ten times, why not?

'It would be an important revenue stream for the councils and I think after a while you would care and you would think "this is no good, I'm going to rent it out to a Londoner".'