The failure to check the English language proficiency of foreign medical staff working in the NHS has cost lives. However, under the current European Union Directive, the British government cannot carry out systematic checks to test the clinical competence or language skills of the doctors who come from inside the EU. The EU Directive is aimed predominantly to uphold the free movement of worker policy. Therefore, the UK government must accept that all European medical qualifications are up to standard and cannot require any EU doctors to do further test to prove their language capability. 

However, language tests have been done for many years on doctors who are not from the EU including those who come from Australia and the United States. Since the death of the British pensioner, David Gray, having been administered 10 times the normal dose of diamorphine by the German doctor Daniel Ubani, many voters have been demanding that the new government scrap this EU policy. Many Members of Parliament also voiced their concern and support that protecting human lives are far more important than following the EU rules.

In early April 2010, the European Commission explained that the EU Directive does not stop the UK national authorities from carrying out language tests on doctors from within the European Union. The European Commission spokesman also said that linguistic requirement will apply to any doctor coming from the EU once he or she is authorised to work in the UK as a medical practitioner. That means any foreign doctors who want to work in the UK must have the right proficiency of English language in order to qualify for practice.  With the EU Directive issue out of the way, the government can now allow tougher language testing for all overseas medical staffs under the Medical Act 1983.

What the test is likely to be?

The government is likely to design the English test for doctors within the EU based on the existing test system set up for the doctors from outside the EU. Foreign medical practitioners from outside the EU must be registered with the British General Medical Council (GMC) to qualify for practicing medicine in any parts of the UK. Since it is a limited registration, medical candidates have to pass a series of tests set out by the Professional and Linguistic Assessment Board (PLAB). 

The test consists of two different parts. Part 1 of the test will test the doctor's knowledge on clinical management. Part 2 will assess the communication skills. The candidate must complete Part 2 of the test within 3 years of passing Part 1, and there is a general 6 months gap between both tests.

Before a foreign doctor can take the test, he or she must already have 3 specific qualifications and experience. First, the doctor must have a primary medical qualification that is recognized by the World Health Organization Directory of Medical School. Secondly, they must have passed the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) with an overall high score of band 7. This can be considered as a tall order so most candidates will go for intensive English language tuition to help them prepare for the test. Finally, the candidate must also have accumulated a minimum of 12 months postgraduate clinical experience.

 

About the Author:
Steve Greenwood writes for Prime Languages. We have experience of Government Translations and have the very best professional translators at your disposal.