English Required?

[mushroom25]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-21547513
this isn't very inclusive, is it? After all, translators appear to be two-a-penny when those requiring the service are wrongdoers.

[anotheoldgit]

It would seem that some of these immigrants give their adopted country a bad name, German Doctor ???

Is in fact a Nigerian born Doctor.

[237SJ]

I can`t believe it`s only just occurred to someone to check their English language levels. While they`re at it, maybe they can ensure that not only can the doctor speak English but that they can speak it with an accent that the patients can understand.

[naomi24]

I don't want to speak to a doctor through a translator. Of course doctors should be able to communicate properly with their patients.

[FredPuli43]

Oddly, lack of English doesn't explain Urbani's fatal mistake.Dr Urbani gave the patient a fatal dose of ten times the recommended dose of diamorphine. That sounds like negligence, or ignorance of the drug,not ignorance of English. What language did he qualify in ? English or German?We may take it that medical exams and teaching are not conducted in one of the many native languages of Nigeria, but in English.

Whatever language they qualify in, whatever their native European languages, a considerable command of English, as spoken here, must be a prerequisite for any doctor wishing to practice here.

[sp1814]

AOG

He's a German doctor.

[Sqad]

Well, believe it not, things have improved in the NHS concerning language difficulties.
In the 60's and 70's things were much worse, particularly in Obstetrics and Gynaecology at junior level as many were Pakistanis that could not speak a word of English, particularly medical terms associated with female " matters."

It has taken almost 50 years to come to terms with it..... And it will be another 50 years before it is enforced

[emmie]

sqad that is wrong on every level, quite honestly the last time i had a stay in hospital it was like visiting the united nations, i couldn't understand one senior doctor at all, he was i believe from Portugal, as to some of the strutting consultants, time someone booted them up the backside.

[emmie]

Nigerian born it says,
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/7161266/Daniel-Ubani-inquest-NHS-failings-allowed-killer-doctor-to-work.html

[youngmafbog]

It is not only English that should be checked. Qualifications and knowledge should be checked too by the doctors being assessed every year to belong to the register (At their cost as per the electricians and Gas fitters).

We do it for Gas fitters and Electricians for safety so why not doctors.

[Sqad]

YMF....good idea but you would have to be prepared for the possible consequences.........how would the NHS continue to function if a considerable number of doctors failed their M.O.T?

More foreign locums?

[EDDIE51]

I believe that at the moment it is illegal for an advert for a school teacher to require that the candidate speaks English.

[FredPuli43]

No more illegal than advertising that a teacher have good command of French, Eddie. It could be illegal to advertise that they be British citizens with English as their mother tongue, since that could hardly be an essential requirement of the job.

[slaney]

There is ( and has been for some decades now) a compulsory language skills test which includes a structured clinical examination, but for doctors outside the EU only.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Professional_and_Linguistic_Assessments_Board
http://www.gmc-uk.org/doctors/plab/Blueprint.as

The GMC has wanted to to extend this to EU doctors, but I think there are problems with EU legislation, and so it has been left to individual employers to judge language ability- this has obviously not worked. Bringing doctors from the EU into line with others is long overdue.

[emmie]

some info seems to suggest his English wasn't that bad, it just seems he was incompetent.

[LazyGun]

Lets not forget that the agency that hired him to work in the out of hours environment waived the written reservations of the assessor of this mans skills, both language and medical. Lets also not forget that we also had a fragmented system, with responsibilities shared between many different agencies which did not communicate well with each other that allowed this guy to work in other PCTs having been initially rejected.

Lets also not forget that the EU themselves have said that testing for competency in the language is perfectly acceptable.

There does need to be some better indications of what consistutes acceptable qualifications and experience for medical staff wthin the EU however, which I think most parties now recognise....

[emmie]

it won't stop this from happening again however.

[slaney]

@Lazygun, the EU may have said that it is acceptable to test language skills individually, but..
"the EU legislation stating that it is illegal to test doctors systematically will remain. There will not be any blanket systematic language tests for EU doctors."
"we still cannot assess a doctor's language skills before they are placed on the GMC register and allowed to begin work."
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8813606/Vulnerable-patients-are-put-at-risk-in-hospitals-when-doctors-and-nurses-cant-speak-English.html
I'm sure a loophole can be found, but the legislation makes it difficult.

[LazyGun]

@Slaney - I will have to take another look at that then. I had genuinely thought the EU has said that the current rules did not prevent such a test for language skills being implemented....

[jake-the-peg]

Typical anti-EU misinformation from the press!

At a press conference in Brussels today, Chantal Hughes, European Commission spokeswoman for the Internal Market described how there is nothing in EU rules to stop authorities in the UK submitting doctors from outside the UK to language tests appropriate to the work they are being asked to carry out, especially if the authorities have reason to be concerned about a doctor's level of English.

http://ec.europa.eu/unitedkingdom/press/press_releases/2010/pr1033_en.htm

[slaney]

That's just what I said Jake; there is nothing to stop individual testing at the time of appointment, "if the competent authority is not convinced that the standard is good enough, they can then impose a language test." (from your link), but any blanket testing of EU doctors before going on the GMC register will not be permitted.
Did you read all of my link?
I am very much pro- Europe, and would certainly not indulge in EU bashing, or scaremongering, but this is a problem.