GMC say more support needed for doctors who qualify outside UK

Posted 18/04/2012

More than one in three of the doctors who are currently registered in the UK qualified abroad. Last year there were 239,270 doctors on the UK Medical Register of whom just over 150,000 qualified here, with 23,000 being trained in the European Economic Area (EEA) and 66,000 who completed their medical undergraduate training overseas. The General Medical Council (GMC) concludes that there is need for those who did their training outside of the UK, where different cultural and professional standards apply, to be given support and training about the way that healthcare is practised here. They are suggesting an induction programme for these doctors saying that they need better support in order to practice safely and in line with the duties, ethics and professional standards that are expected here.The GMC have prepared their first ‘State of Medical Education and Practice Report’ having drawn on data including surveys of doctors and of patients’ complaints. It recognised that doctors trained abroad under different professional regimes were often unfamiliar with the requirements of confidentiality required here and also unaware of the level of communication and involvement with treatment expected by patients in the UK.This report, and the suggestions it makes about further training or ‘familiarisation’ to aid working within the NHS, fits with the call for doctors to have language checks before being allowed to practice in this country, although the GMC recognised that under European Law it is prevented from providing language checks on doctors coming from the EEA.Trefine Maynard, a solicitor specialising in medical negligence cases at Ashtons Legal, comments “It is refreshing to see the GMC taking the lead in addressing the many worries and problems reported by patients when being treated by medical staff who they cannot understand or who they say pay no attention at all to the patient’s own concerns and need for both treatment and involvement in decisions made about that treatment. Communication between patient and doctor is absolutely crucial to good medical care both to ensure the doctor has the best possible information about the patient and his condition and to make sure the patient understands what is happening and any advice or information about care that is given by the doctor”.