Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of increasing English language requirements for non-UK staff within the NHS.

Where legally required, healthcare professionals must be registered with the appropriate United Kingdom healthcare regulator to be able to practise. Professionals who qualified outside the UK must demonstrate they have the necessary knowledge of English as part of the regulator’s assessment of their healthcare qualifications, knowledge, and skills. The process and accepted evidence for demonstrating English language proficiency varies according to regulator, the healthcare role and the circumstances of applicants.

The healthcare regulators are independent of Government, and it is for regulators to determine the required processes and thresholds in relation to English language competence for registrants.

General practitioners, dentists and opticians delivering National Health Service primary care must also be on the relevant NHS performers list. Applicants’ ability to communicate effectively and safely with patients and colleagues is assessed as part of the performers list application process.

For the performers lists in England, it is NHS England policy that the required level of English language competence for admission to the list is the same as that required by the relevant healthcare regulator. If there are concerns about an applicant’s English language competence, they will be required to demonstrate competence by further assessment. This may be an oral exam with an assessor from NHS England or satisfactory completion of the International English Language Test System or the Occupational English Test.