GMC Seeks Stricter Testing Despite NHS Urgent Need for Foreign Doctors

The healthcare industry in the UK is currently in a state of crisis. The situation is the result of a bureaucratic mess that doesn’t look likely to be untangled any time soon. There are four main components involved.

The first and most obvious is the under-funded and desperately under-staffed NHS, which urgently needs to bring in more foreign doctors to cover the shortfall in native UK doctors. This shortfall has been created due to a number of factors, but the results are clear to see. A recent report in the Daily Mail highlights a sharp rise in applications for Certificates of Current Professional Status (CCPS), which are a necessary requirement for GMC registered doctors to practice in many foreign countries.

As the article points out, the indications are that an exodus of junior doctors from the UK is looming, and the main contributing cause seems to be systemic exploitation of junior doctors resulting from governmental policy. This is coupled with serious cuts to available higher education in health-related fields, which ensures the shortfall will only worsen in the years ahead.

Right now this whole matter is balanced on a very precarious edge, with close to 50,000 junior doctors threatening to go on strike if their working conditions are not improved. Many people don’t realise just how many years doctors spend in training before they are able to earn the vast sums that most people associate the medical profession with. They would probably be shocked to learn that many junior doctors earn less than train drivers.

It appears the NHS has already conceded there is very little chance of retaining all of their disgruntled junior doctors, meanwhile, there is already a shortage of more senior GPs and specialists. All of this, of course, leads to the ultimate conclusion that the NHS will have to recruit even more doctors from abroad than ever before. However, there are at least two major hurdles to this goal, which brings us neatly to the second major component of the current crisis.

The GMC is tasked with ensuring that all registered doctors are fit to be registered. This means being competent in every task that a doctor can reasonably be expected to undertake. Not surprisingly, one of the most fundamental skills a doctor needs is to be able to communicate effectively with other medical staff and with patients. Therefore, while not directly in opposition of the NHS effort to recruit more foreign doctors, the GMC nonetheless acts as a natural barrier to that effort by filtering out applicants who don’t appear to make the grade.

There is nothing inherently wrong with GMC policy, as nobody wants the NHS to be filled with doctors who lack appropriate skills or who are unable to communicate effectively in English. This would not serve the needs of the public much better than an understaffed service. But with nearly 50% of foreign applicants for GMC registration being filtered out, there has to be at least some chance that some of them are being filtered out for the wrong reasons. The aim of the rest of this article is to help you avoid that happening to you.

GMC wants to get even stricter

The latest news on the whole unfolding scenario is that Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, has called for greater power to screen out registration applicants. Dickson was particularly critical of EU rules, which he apparently believes are too weak and not strict enough. The GMC has also been cracking down even on those already registered, with EU doctors being called in for surprise English tests, which has sometimes resulted in suspensions or even worse.

What does this mean for EU doctors wanting to work in the UK now?

The very first thing you should make sure of is that all your paperwork and credentials are in perfect order and that you do indeed have a good ability to speak and understand English. Your knowledge of English should also extend to technical, medical, and anatomical terms. This will give you the best chance of ensuring your application has less risk of being rejected. Otherwise you could well find that you spend a considerable amount of time and money complying with the GMC’s requests, only to be denied on some unforeseen technicality.

It will also help you immensely if you engage Hylton-Potts to assist you in the application process, as we have extensive experience in this particular field and we are nearly always able to influence the odds in favour of our clients. It’s one of our most in-demand services, and we are proud of our excellent record of achieving favourable outcomes.

These services are available on a fixed-fee basis and, unlike other companies who may offer a similar service to what we offer, there are no hidden extra charges when you hire us. We will take a lot of the stress out of the whole application process, so that when you do appear before GMC examiners, you’ll be able to function with the utmost confidence and clarity.

When you obtain this service from Hylton-Potts, we will advise you on all the necessary steps towards obtaining your registration, we’ll help you make sure you comply with all the requirements, and we’ll do everything possible to make sure your application is not rejected.

If by some strange twist of fate your application is not successful, we can help you appeal the decision. Remember, humans make these decisions, and people sometimes make mistakes and false judgements. If your application is rejected without reasonable grounds, the decision can (and definitely should) be appealed. Again, this is something that we can also help you with.

For more information on this service or any other service that we offer, please call us on 020 7381 8111 or send an email to [email protected].

We would be interested in your comments, please leave them in the section below.