Sudan Doctors

Foreign doctors working in the NHS must be better tested to make sure they are fit to practise and can speak good English, the leader of the UK's doctors has warned.
British Medical Association chairman Dr Hamish Meldrum called for tighter controls to ensure doctors from overseas wishing to work in the UK meet proper standards.

The General Medical Council (GMC) has raised concerns that it feels it is unable to make make adequate checks on doctors from EU countries because of rules over the free movement of labour within Europe

The fears follow a high profile case of a doctor from Germany who was struck off the medical register earlier this month after being found guilty of making "recurrent mistakes" in caring for three patients during shifts in the UK.

In his keynote speech to the BMA conference in Brighton yesterday, Dr Meldrum said: "The UK has benefited enormously from many overseas doctors, over many years, and will continue to do so."

He continued: "It cannot be acceptable for poorly trained, badly regulated doctors whose knowledge of English is about as good as my knowledge of Chinese, to be able to practise, virtually unchallenged, in the UK."

"We must ensure that the doctors who treat our patients are competent to do so, that they have the necessary language skills and that they are subject to the same regulation as UK doctors."

The UK government and the GMC, which regulates doctors, are in discussion about EU rules on language testing.

The GMC says it is prevented from testing ability in English or the clinical competence of doctors from the EU, but can do so for those from the rest of the world. An EU directive on the issue says any language testing should be proportionate, not blanket testing, and should happen only in cases where there is doubt over proficiency.

A Scottish Government spokeswoman said: "The GMC regulates for the whole of the UK and their functions are distinct from those of employers.

"Its task is to establish whether an applicant for entry in the medical register meets the requirements set out in the Medical Act 1983 which doctors need to meet in order to practice in the UK.

"Even when a doctor has been placed on the register it is a matter for the employer to decide whether they are or are not a suitable person.

"However, it is employers' responsibility, as part of the selection process, to satisfy themselves that candidates have the required level of communication skills to function in the role providing high quality, safe and effective patient care