Overseas doctors with a "poor grasp" of the English language will be barred from working for the NHS, under new rules announced by Health Secretary Andrew Lansley yesterday (4 October).
In his address to the Conservative Party during its annual party conference in Liverpool, Lansley said, "proficient language skills were equally as important as proper medical qualifications" when practicing as a doctor in England.
He revealed a commitment to empower the General Medical Council (GMC) to take action against doctors who fail to communicate to the standard required.