Nurses at Waikato Hospital have been instructed to speak to patients only in English

Staff received a memo last week - that states exclusively communicating in English, is best for people in clinical settings.

It says concerns had been raised about other languages being used.

Just 10 days ago, our newsroom revealed a patient at Auckland's North Shore Hospital asked that they not receive care from anyone of Asian ethnicity.

Health New Zealand initially agreed to the request - causing distress among staff.