NHS will be left powerless to perform checks if the UK stays in the single market

December 30, 2016

Brussels bans the safety checks saying they violate freedom of movement rules
Says it has drawn up tests for EU doctors if Britain leaves the single market
Medics from elsewhere – including the US- must pass a three-hour written exam and half-day practical test if they want to work in the UK

Daniel Martin for the Daily Mail

Published:
20:42 EST, 29 December 2016

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Updated:
03:00 EST, 30 December 2016

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The NHS will be powerless to carry out vital safety checks on European doctors if Theresa May opts for a ‘soft Brexit’, the medical regulator has warned.

The General Medical Council told MPs that if Britain stays in the EU single market, it will be unable to test properly the competence and skills of doctors from the Continent.

Brussels bans the safety checks saying they violate freedom of movement rules.

The GMC has said that if Britain opts for a soft Brexit by staying in the UK then it will be unable to test the competence and skills of doctors from the UK

The GMC said if the Prime Minister accedes to Remainers’ demands to stay in the single market, it will still have to abide by the ban. It added that if the UK leaves the single market, the NHS will be free to ‘enhance patient safety’ with ‘rigorous assessments of [doctors’] knowledge and clinical skills’.

Brexit supporters will use the GMC’s argument to bolster their case that British patients can be kept safe only with a complete break from the EU.

GMC head Niall Dickson said some European doctors may struggle when they practise in the UK and that could put patients at risk

The regulator revealed it has drawn up tests for EU doctors which could be used if Britain does leave the single market.

‘This will help to raise standards and provide greater assurance to the public about the competence of every doctor we register regardless of where they are from,’ the GMC said in a submission to MPs. Anti-Brexit MPs are campaigning against what they call a hard Brexit, under which the UK would leave all aspects of the EU, including the single market and the customs union.

But the Leave side say this is the only way to keep control of our borders and immigration levels. Niall Dickson, head of the GMC, said: ‘Some European doctors – because we haven’t checked their competency – may struggle when they practise here and that could put patients at risk.’

In a submission to the Commons health committee, the GMC said it had no position on what Britain’s relations with the EU should be.

U-TURN CITY BOSS: LONDON WILL STAY WORLD FINANCE HUB

Change of heart: Mark Boleat

A senior City figure who warned of London’s decline if the UK left the EU now says he expects the country to stay the centre of the financial world.

Mark Boleat, policy chairman of the City of London Corporation, yesterday painted an upbeat picture of Britain and its capital following Brexit.

He said: ‘I have no doubt, whatever happens in 2017, the City of London will remain the world’s leading financial centre … we cannot be complacent and must continue investing in infrastructure and education while working to secure the best possible business links with the EU and the world.’

Last year the 67-year-old – who has run the Building Societies Association, the Council of Mortgage Lenders and the Association of British Insurers – warned: ‘Brexit would lead to considerable uncertainty, with a threat … [of] the City of London being smaller than it otherwise would have been.’

Tory MP John Redwood said: ‘It is a clear sign many people who had fears before the vote have looked at it again and realised many of the things they thought would go wrong have not.’

But it pointed out that only by leaving the single market would it be able to test properly the language skills of EU doctors. Medics from elsewhere, including the US and Australia, must pass a three-hour written exam and half-day practical test if they want to work in the UK.

Theresa May is set to trigger Article 50 by the end of March

But freedom of movement rules mean the GMC cannot force EU citizens to undergo the same assessments. This is a ‘significant weakness’, the submission states.The regulator said: ‘Leaving the EU could have a significant impact on the regulation, movement and education of doctors … Our long-standing position is that we would like to be able to check that doctors coming to practise here from Europe meet the same standards as those who qualify in the UK and outside Europe.’

The submission added: ‘We have always argued the GMC should have the right to test the competence of European doctors … We believe the current European law which restricts us from doing so has created a weakness in the system.’

The GMC said that if the UK left the single market, it wants the Government to consider the ‘opportunity to enhance patient safety and make the necessary amendments to our legal powers’. Work has begun on a testing scheme that could be introduced if the Government acts to repeal the relevant legislation.

‘We are working on proposals for a Medical Licensing Assessment that could provide a cost-effective way to demonstrate that those applying for a licence to practise medicine meet a common standard for safe practice,’ the document said.

OVERSEAS FIRMS BACK BRITAIN WITH £16BILLION BOOST

Foreign firms have pumped more than £16 billion into the UK since the summer despite warnings from Remain campaigners that Brexit would see international investors desert.

Figures from the Department for International Trade show overseas investment has continued to flow into the economy since the vote to leave the EU.

In May, then Chancellor George Osborne told MPs there was evidence foreign firms were putting investment in the UK on hold – and that some deals would be ‘cancelled’ if voters backed Brexit.

But in the five months since the department was created, foreign investment totalling £16.3 billion has been attracted across sectors including property development, infrastructure and renewable energy.

International Trade Secretary Liam Fox said: ‘Recent major investments show how much the UK is valued as an innovative business-friendly country, and will continue to be … The benefits of foreign investment have much more impact for local communities … transforming local industry, creating jobs and tackling issues like housing and clean energy.’

He added that the investments were ‘a clear vote of confidence in the UK and our strong economy post-Brexit’.

The figures were revealed as the London stock market continued its euphoric end to the year, with shares hitting a new record high last night.

The FTSE 100 index of leading companies rose 0.2 per cent, or 14.18 points, to reach 7120.26 – 24 hours after the traditional ‘Santa rally’ helped it set a record of 7106.08.

Some £287.5billion has been added to the value of the biggest firms since a low after the EU vote on June 23. Optimism over rising inflation and earnings of UK businesses are driving the buoyant stock market.