Fears for patients grow as English test for foreign nurses is made easier after only 4% met required standards
Exams relaxed so more overseas nurses will be able to work in the UK amid crippling nationwide shortage
ENGLISH language tests for foreign nurses applying to work in British hospitals have been made easier after a mere 4% passed exams.
Only eight out of 220 Filipino nurses with the right to work in the UK met the required English language standards after sitting the test at the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust.
The trust’s chiefs – who manage New Cross Hospital and Cannock Chase Hospital in the West Midlands – have blamed a “painful” International English Language Testing System (IELTS) for the UK’s dire shortage of nurses.
Their conclusion comes after just 4% of foreign nurses managed to score the required seven out of nine across five different tests.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council are now permitting foreign hopefuls to re-sit their tests within six months of their first try.
Overseas nurses will pass if they manage to average a seven over the two exams, which means they can receive scores lower than seven in some tests, but still qualify for nursing roles in UK hospitals.
RELATED STORIES
Speaking on the change, Linda Holland, human resources director for the Royal Wolverhampton NHS Trust, said: "Converting offers we have made into nurses working at the trust is proving to be a painful and protracted process - the main issue being the IELTS."
Holland added: "This is the sort of evidence the NMC hasn't seen before and we brought up the fact nurses have to sit the test multiple times.
"We would never compromise patient safety in any way."
We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online news team? Email us at tips@the-sun.co.uk or call 0207 782 4368.
