DH calls for tighter language controls for pharmacists
The GPhC would be able to initiate fitness-to-practise proceedings based on concerns over a pharmacist's language skills, under DH proposals
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The Department of Health (DH) has called for stricter language controls for European pharmacists and technicians. In a consultation document published on Monday (November 3), the DH proposed that the General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) and the Pharmaceutical Society for Northern Ireland (PSNI) should be able to assess whether pharmacists and technicians working in the UK had "sufficient knowledge" of English and to take action if they had concerns. It proposed similar legislative changes for nurses, midwives and dentists. Pharmacy regulators do not currently have the power to launch fitness-to-practise proceedings against a registrant because of "serious complaints" about their English skills, unless this has already affected their performance. The DH's proposals would mean regulators would be able to take "pre-emptive action" on this issue, it said. Any changes to the Pharmacy Order 2010 or the Pharmacy (Northern Ireland) Order 1976 must be compatible with European law, which prevents regulatory bodies from automatically testing the language skills of applicants, the DH said. To resolve this, it suggested that regulators should be able to request evidence of a pharmacist's language skills if they had concerns, which they are currently unable to do. Any language checks would need to be "fair and proportionate" and must not take place until the applicant's qualification had been recognised by the regulator, the DH stressed. It also called for a new registration requirement for all applicants to have the "necessary knowledge of English", including UK nationals. The consultation, which closes on December 15, follows the DH's decision to impose language checks on European doctors in June. The GPhC and the PSNI are already able to carry out these checks on pharmacists from outside Europe. If the proposed amendments were made law, the regulatory bodies would consult on how to implement the changes "at a later date", the DH added. Health minister Daniel Poulter MP told parliament on Monday that the government "greatly valued" the contributions of health professionals from around the world, but it was "essential" that they had sufficient knowledge of the language to provide safe patient care. Last year, the GPhC called for the implementation of EU language testing plans to prevent exposing patients to a "continuing risk of harm".
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