'Too little, too late' action on foreign doctors who don't speak English
19 Oct 2011
Diane Abbott MP, the Shadow Health Minister, criticises Andrew Lansley for “too little too late” action on foreign doctors who don’t speak English: ‘I am amazed that it has taken Andrew Lansley so long to take any action on this issue. Earlier this year the European Commission consulted on the recognition of professional qualifications. The government’s response did not contain anything about medical qualifications. In March, the General Medical Council sent a strongly worded submission to the European Commission consultation explaining that the current European rules represent a serious cause for concern and risk public safety by stopping the GMC from routinely testing GP’s language skills before they can start working here. They said that they had doctors on their books who “are not able to communicate in English” but under European law it could not refuse to register them. I spoke about the issue at the time.
‘The problem is that Andrew Lansley is not challenging the European rules. So the GMC will still not be able to routinely test doctors who come from within the European Community. In the absence of a routine test it is not clear what he means when he says he will give the GMC new powers. They will still be obliged to register these doctors.
‘Local employers already have the power to make language checks. Lansley says that he is going to make this mandatory. But his “reforms” are going to make it increasingly difficult to enforce such instructions from above on a fragmented system. The foreign language issue illustrates the dangers of breaking up the NHS.’
-ENDS -
Notes to editors:
1) Diane Abbott’s call for action on this issue back in March is here: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/8414727/Foreign-doctors-work-in-Britain-without-speaking-English.html
2) Labour describes failure to endorse GMC's concerns about recognition of training across 27 member states as a 'travesty': http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/mar/31/nhs-patient-care-risk-eu-training-standards
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