A Queensland hospital has confirmed a staff member sent an email to ask other workers to stop speaking foreign languages at work.
North West Hospital and Health Service acting chief executive Lisa Davies Jones said senior management had not sent an email to staff after an investigation found a staff member sent the email without authorisation.
The investigation was launched following reports on Monday a worker at Mount Isa Hospital sent an email to employees warning them to only speak English while at work.
"Following investigation of this matter, we have now established such an email directive was distributed without authorisation by a member of staff at the hospital," Ms Davies Jones said.
"The staff member involved has been counselled about this matter specifically and about the issuing of directives without authorisation in general.
"A memo also will be going out to staff about the appropriate use of emails.
"Communicating clearly with our patients and visitors is always an absolute priority. But there is no requirement for staff to speak only English amongst themselves at any of our health facilities.
"We have received no formal complaints from any staff, patients or visitors at Mount Isa Hospital about staff speaking amongst themselves in languages other than English."
On Monday, The Courier-Mail published an email from a worker reportedly telling employees if they continue to talk to one another in a language other than English they could be referred to human resources.
"I have received a few complaints lately about staff speaking in their own language in front of others," the email reportedly read on 4 January.
"This makes people feel paranoid and isolated and it is to stop immediately.
"If I get any other complaints the matter will be referred to HR."
Data from the 2011 Census of Population and Housing showed there were a growing number of nurses born overseas, including a six per cent increase of nurses from India, that were taking up jobs in Australia.
The other larger proportions of nurses born overseas in 2011, other than the United Kingdom and New Zealand, included China and Malaysia.
In 2011, 12 per cent of doctors and specialists born overseas were from India, marking an increase since 2001.
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