FOREIGN nurses drafted in to work on North-East hospital wards are having lessons in Geordie to make sure they can understand their patients.

When a patient asks to go to the "netty", they will know they wish to go to the toilet and not be confused by the local lingo.

The nurses will be learning phrases such as "Wor bairn's hacky mucky", meaning "My baby needs a wash", and "Ah wes pelatick", meaning "I was very drunk", so they can give the best care possible to the people of the North-East.

The nurses from Singapore, the Philippines and India, all speak English. They are now being given a ten-week course at a local college to give them a better understanding of the popular regional accent.

Leoni Balasamy came to the North-East five months ago to work as a theatre nurse at the RVI, in Newcastle.

The 36-year-old, who lives in Elswick, Newcastle, and has children in Singapore, said: "The course has been good for me. It really helped me understand things better, especially the North-East accent which was quite hard at first."

Newcastle College runs the course in conjunction with a variety of NHS organisations around the region at its NHS Learning Centre.

The centre has a modern computer suite and extensive learning facilities, but tutors also go to hospital sites around the region to give students on-the-job help.

Gaye Hutchinson, director of corporate development at Newcastle College, said: "This course with the international nurses was created in response to their needs and experiences.

"Giving people more training increases staff motivation and, in the case of these international nurses, definitely improves the standard of healthcare."