The Royal College of Surgeons (RCS) are concerned that patient safety is being put at risk because testing of the clinical English language skills of dentists, doctors and nurses from the European Economic Area (EEA) is insufficient due to EU rules.
They say the Government should use post-Brexit negotiations to rectify the situation.
New General Medical Council (GMC) data provided under a Freedom of Information request reveal that 29 doctors from the EEA (excluding UK) have faced allegations relating to ‘inadequate knowledge of English language’ during 2014-2015. Four doctors from the EEA (excluding UK) have been suspended or had restrictions put on their practice because of problems with their English with a number of cases still yet to be decided
By comparison, 10 doctors from non-EEA countries, where UK regulators are able to test the clinical language skills of applicants, faced such allegations in the same period with none being suspended or facing restrictions. This is despite the fact that there are more doctors from non-EEA countries: 26% of doctors on the medical register are from outside the EEA compared to 11% from the EEA.
Professor Nigel Hunt, dean of the Faculty of Dental Surgery at the Royal College of Surgeons, said: “The NHS would struggle to provide care in hospitals, clinics and dental practices without the very skilled doctors, dentists, and nurses that come from both the EU and non-EU countries – it’s absolutely vital that the Government find ways to ensure they can remain working in the NHS post-Brexit. That said it’s unquestionable that such staff should be able to communicate clearly with patients in English about their clinical problems, illnesses and treatment.
“While the professional regulators are able to require proof of the clinical language skills of non-EU applicants, the same checks do not apply to EEA applicants and our fear is that this could be putting patients at risk. We want the same rules to apply to all non-UK professionals, regardless of where in the world they come from.”
