The British Medical
Association’s calls for a review of the processes which overseas doctors must
undergo before they can work in the NHS – but stressed that the NHS relies on
overseas professionals and so highly qualified and talented international
doctors should not be discriminated against.

This
has been welcomed by HCL plc, one of the UK’s leading health and social care
staffing companies, today welcomed. Overseas professionals, especially nurses,
doctors and allied health professionals, make up a significant proportion of
NHS frontline services. For example, General Medical Council figures show that
more than 91,000 of the UK’s 243,900 registered doctors gained their medical
qualification outside Britain.

Kate
Bleasdale, Executive Vice Chairman of HCL plc, commented: “Demographic trends
suggest that the NHS will need more, not less, overseas workers in coming
years. The UK population is ageing and will need more frequent and acute care –
we now have more people aged over 65 in the UK than we do under 16, and the
number of over-65s is expected to double in the next 20 years. At the same
time, our UK
healthcare workforce is itself ageing – over a third of the current nursing
workforce is expected to retire in the next decade, and there are not enough
school leavers entering the caring professions. Whilst we whole-heartedly
support initiatives to attract, train and retain “home-grown” talent
for the NHS, this is not enough to meet the current shortfall and so it’s
inevitable that we also look beyond our borders to source highly skilled
professionals.”

Currently,
healthcare professionals from outside the EU have to sit tough language and competence
tests before they can work in the NHS. But European law states that candidates
from within the EU are exempt from these mandatory language tests.

Bleasdale
explained: “Under current rules we are seeing situations where, say, French or
Spanish doctors can start work in the UK without having to demonstrate fluency
in English at all. But healthcare professionals from Australia, New Zealand or
Canada, whose first language is English, must undergo an expensive and time
consuming examination process. Clearly the system is in need of reform because
at the moment it just slows up the process by which we can get skilled, English
speaking doctors on the wards and treating patients.

“Hospitals
and patients want medical professionals who are highly trained, skilled and
speak fluent English. That’s what we want too. That is why HCL plc is proud to
adhere to the UK Department of Health’s guidelines on ethical international
recruitment, and why we ensure that compliance and skills checks on all our
candidates meet all legal requirements and exceed the highest standards of best
practice.”

Bleasdale
concluded: “With a rapidly growing and ageing population we must do everything
we can to ensure that the NHS can cope with the demands for its services. And
in the current economic climate, the NHS has to be able to recruit high quality
staff in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

5 July 2010