Who could object to these proposals?

[sandyRoe]

http://uk.news.yahoo....skills-044515908.html

Consulting your doctor is a time when you'd want to be sure they could clearly understand you.

[Brenden]

No, and I would include nursing staff in these proposals.

[Kiki-frog]

I should blooming well hope so! It's just so sad that there has developed a need for this legislation even to be considered. Patient and physician each understanding what the other is saying - isn't that fundamental to diagnosis and treatment? And as Brenden says, it has to apply to nursing staff as well.

[Sqad]

What is the panic, this has been the situation for 45 years at least.

If you strike them off......who will take their place?
There would certainly be a chronic shortage of doctors as the NHS is staffed by immigrants and "foreign" doctors who have a poor grasp of the English language.

[sandyRoe]

If a chap came from one of our former colonies and had decent English the quality of his degree wouldn't be so important. Instilling confidence in the patient is half the battle.

[emmie]

i have come across so many that i couldn't understand, either their accent was so heavy, and we aren't talking of people with regional accents here, but those from outside of Britain. Can't understand how they employ people who cannot be understood by the people they are treating or indeed other medical staff. One nurse on my mothers ward was so hard to understand it could have caused major problems in her treatment.

[tonyav]

If their English is that bad, it makes me wonder how they get through the job interveiw ?.

[cathfromsaron]

IMHO both spoken and written english are so important! clarity is the key!

before now, i have taken things to the chemist and even they have had trouble decyphering the handwriting!

[emmie]

tonyav, my belief is that if there are staff shortages or sometimes not, the powers that be will overlook certain factors, like an in depth interview, to ascertain skills and competent language

[tonyav]

em10, Yea but surely they still have to have some sort of interview.

[emmie]

i expect so, so perhaps the people doing the interviewing are of a mind that the person is filling the quota, so should they care how they speak?

[tonyav]

I think that they certainly should care if the patients can't understand what they are talking about.

[chaptazbru]

I don't object, it's ridiculous not being able to understand someone who is supposed to be helping you.

[tonyav]

Nail on the head there, chaptazbru.

[emmie]

i had the same problem, doctor that was treating me could speak English, but with such a heavy accent, it was virtually impossible to know what he was saying.