LOST IN TRANSLATION

15-09-2006

Patients at West Midlands hospitalsare being put at risk because some overseas doctorslack one vital piece of equipment - a good grasp of the English language. Edward Cameron investigates ...

Thisa grim but simple story told to me by afriend who works in a responsible position at a local hospital.

A cancer patient suffering severe pain was attended by one of the numerous doctorshired from abroad to keep the NHS going. The doc, an EU national, was unquestionably well-intentioned but his grasp of English was so poor hefailed tounderstand and properly fill out a prescription form.

As a result the cancer victim, already dealing with a calamitous illness, spent the night in agony.

Frommy friend'spoint of view that was bad enough. Worse was the thought of what might have happened if the doctor had been treating an more serious case or even anemergency. Could a medic be employed with such poor English that livesmight be put at risk? My friend definitely thinks so.

When you look at the recruitment system it's not hard to see why. Only one in 500 applicants to UK medical schools who tick the box saying they speak the language at an acceptable level are called upon to prove it.

EU rules prevent citizens from anywhere within the Union being tested for their English skills in the UK,and my friend assures me thatthey are often not even interviewed which would at least allow the hospital to make a basic check.

Scary, eh? And there's a financial impact too. Many overseas doctors take longer trying to decipher their paperwork than colleagues who have English as a first language, and that means more locums (or agency doctors) are having to be called in to try and make up a backlog of work.

My friend said: “It can cost double because you are paying the foreign doctor, the locum doctor and agency rates. My medical school had 400 students and none of us were called upon to prove our ability to speak English.

“While the foreign doctors at my hospital are very clever and technically up to the task - they can take blood and make diagnoses - they are not reassuring patients who are concerned that they do not understand them."

The British Medical Association reckons the regulatory body, theGeneral Medical Councilshould ensure all overseas doctors are fully tested for their English; and the GMCsays they must either pass - or be exempt from - a full language test.

Butif they come from anywhere within theEUthey can't be discriminated against by being forced to prove their ability to speak English so they can work here regardless. Good to know that the European Unionisworking so hard to protect the human rights of doctors- and never mind the needsof patients.