News

Set English language requirements now for overseas doctors, says Cambridge

19 October 2010

Cambridge 19 October 2010: An investigation last week by Pulse one of the UK's leading medical publications has found that three in four in overseas doctors from EU countries registered to work in the NHS have had no checks on their language skills. Cambridge ESOL – who in the past have called for a national language scheme for overseas doctors – have responded to this report by urging the healthcare industry to exercise common sense when employing overseas professionals. Current European Union rules restrict the way language tests can be conducted on staff from within the EU and Dr Mike Milanovic, Chief Executive Officer of Cambridge ESOL says:

“We're all aware of the invaluable contribution overseas professionals bring to the country’s healthcare sector, but it is critical that those working in frontline services need to be able to use English effectively. We shouldn't let existing EU rules preventing checks get in the way of common sense. Until the legislation is changed, there are practical steps NHS Health Trusts can take to ensure that their foreign doctors and nurses have a good command of English.”

Currently, the General Medical Council (GMC) requires medics from outside the European Economic Area (EEA) medics to demonstrate their English language skills using the International English Language Testing System (IELTS). In response to the Pulse report, Cambridge ESOL is calling for this to be extended to all overseas doctors. Dr Milanovic suggests NHS Trusts should set language levels in line with how linguistically demanding the role is and carry out a benchmarking exercise to determine whether extra learning support is required. He says:

“This minimum level can be based on the Council of Europe's Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) which is one of the most widely used tools for understanding language levels.”