A team of Iraqi doctors is visiting Bristol to learn how Britain's National Health Service works.

University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust (UHBristol) is hosting the 26 senior doctors for six weeks as part of a Department of Health programme.

They will spend time with different groups of clinicians at the Bristol Royal Infirmary and its sister sites to see what technology is used and how doctors and nurses work together within the NHS.

The initiative is being undertaken to help with the rebuilding of the Iraq health system in the wake of the war.

The group who arrived in Bristol at the weekend are the 12th team of Iraqi doctors to visit the UK as part of the learning programme.

They will be observing Bristol clinicians during their stay, but will not be treating any patients. In Iraq, there is not the same primary care system as in the UK, so rather than seeing a GP, a consultant neurologist may deal with anything from a headache to a brain tumour.

Gastroenterologist at UHBristol Professor Chris Probert will be working with the Iraqis during their visit and will be showing them the large liver ward at the BRI.

He said they will be shown some of the latest technology that is being used in the hospital. Prof Probert said: "One of the reasons for working in a teaching hospital is to teach. It is not just about the patients, as important as they are.

"This group are working in a place where they have not got the same facilities and resources but they have got the same aspirations."

UHBristol has worked with a hospital in Uganda as part of its educational partnerships so clinicians are used to sharing their expertise.

Deputy medical director, Jane Luker, said: "In Iraq at the moment the health system is very centred on doctors and they do not have nurse practitioners or other skills so this is a chance for us to give them an insight into those areas and how we deal with clinical governance, risk and research development.

"I think they will learn a lot about how we have instigated change and also about team-working and multi disciplinary teams because they do not tend to work in that way. Hopefully we will also learn from them."