Are We Too Lax In The Way We Allow Foreign Doctors To Practice In This Country?

[anotheoldgit]

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9771022/Revealed-3-in-4-of-Britains-danger-doctors-are-trained-abroad.html

/// Under the current system, British hospitals and medical agencies which hire doctors are not allowed to test the language skills of those from EU countries to seek if staff will be able to communicate safely. ///

[boxtops]

This was discussed on the radio this morning. These are a handful of doctors out of a employee base of around 1.5 million people.

Yes there should be better language tests (and IMO "understandability" tests - the doc may grasp English well but the patient may not be able to understand the doc, as happened to me not so long ago).

When literacy and numeracy tests are a vital part of nurse training, I fail to understand why ALL applicants for clinical posts can't be similarly tested. It's in the interests of patient safety, not a discriminatory practice.

[TWR]

My Daughter is a Matron In our Local A&E, they employ a few Filipinos, there has been a lot of problems regards these people understanding Instructions, one person stated that there is discrimination against them! who won the case???

[ummmm]

Go on, tell us?

[Sqad]

Without foreign doctors and nurses, the NHS would fold and this has been the case since it's inception and if that means allowing them in with poor communication skills, then so be it.

[boxtops]

I certainly agree re the numbers, sqad, but something needs to be done about language skills.

[Sqad]

boxy...I agree.......but if there was a test, so many doctors would fail and that would certainly leave a hole in the work force......who would fill it?

This was the case 40 years ago when particularly in Midder Obs &Gynae, patients were complaining that in many units they could not communicate with foreign registrars............40 years ago.
What has been done?.....nothing.

[cassa333]

No Sqad it shouldn't be .. so be it.

We may need them (although I am doubtful on that one) then they also need the job and SHOULD be able to communicate properly with the patient.

Whether doctor, nurse or cleaning staff or caterer they should be able to communicate and work to the standard expected. That includes communication, written and spoken instruction and understanding of technical jargen not assocated with their own country.

We pay them to do a job and should expect better than basic standards.

[Sqad]

cassa

\\\No Sqad it shouldn't be .. so be it. \\\

I agree.........so what is your solution to the inevitable gap in medical cover whilst they are learning "our language?"

[emmie]

i have come across any number of doctors in hospitals, GP's surgeries who didn't have a sufficient command of English, that includes nurses. This should not be the case. If the doctors or nurses cannot understand their patients needs then what are they doing working in hospitals, surgeries. One nurse who was treating my mother couldn't be understood by any of us, her accent was unintelligible, and her command of the language poor.

[sandyRoe]

The NHS could employ interpreters. This would make work for language graduates and go some way to reassure patients.

[emmie]

many of the nurses i encountered in the private medical sector were from the Philippines, most of whom couldn't speak the language very well, so it's not just the NHS. From my experience of some of those women who entered the nursing profession early in the 1950's came from the West Indies and they had no problem with the language whatsoever.

[emmie]

why should you have to employ translators for heaven sake. Would you say the same if it was France, Germany, i would think those countries expect the medical staff to have a good command of their languages.

[anotheoldgit]

Sqad

/// Without foreign doctors and nurses, the NHS would fold and this has been the case since it's inception and if that means allowing them in with poor communication skills, then so be it. ///

According to this report that is just not true, in fact the NHS will have to train fewer Doctors.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/9724532/The-NHS-will-train-fewer-doctors-to-avoid-future-brain-drain-report-warns.html

/// Each student costs the taxpayer £250,000 to put through medical school and having too many than there are jobs for would be a waste, experts said. ///

/// He said: "The NHS of the future needs the right workforce in place to make sure patients get the best care. The Government is taking action now so that patient's needs will continue to be met in 2025, and money is not wasted training more doctors than the NHS requires, who could end up having to go abroad to find
work. ///

[ronnietoon]

to the OP yes

but can you see the increase in problems where the patient has a thick Glaswegian,Gordie or scouse accent?

[VHG]

>>>if that means allowing them in with poor communication skills, then so be it.

Try telling that to the family of the 74 year old lady in our local paper this week.

She had a feeding tube put in her lungs rather than her stomach by a foreign nurse and the lady died.

[boxtops]

That's not about communication skills, VHG, that's about poor clinical skills - but the one can reflect on the other, the nurse should have been able to intubate someone, no matter in what language she learned the skill. That's awful.

We already have an interpretation service between patients and clinicians, it's horrendously expensive to maintain.

[emmie]

most English people can be understood, even with a Geordie, accent, even if that had to write it down, which seem implausible.

[ummmm]

Like Ronnie says some UK accents are extremely hard to understand.

[emmie]

boxy, exactly, very expensive and absurd that you have to employ translators in a hospital or doctors surgery. The same applies in our local authority, and in the local CAB.

[emmie]

so it's ok to have a nurse who doesn't understand the language and can cause more problem for the poor patient. Some i have come across were simply incompetent, cheap labour basically.