EU doctors need more stringent language tests, according to Kate Bleasdale, executive vice chairman of medical staffing specialist Healthcare Locums (HCL).

Bleasdale’s comments follow a survey by Pulse newspaper, which found across 35 primary care trusts (PCTs), just 23% of EU doctors underwent language tests, meaning 300 had not. Of the 20 PCTs that provided details on clinical competence, only 17% of doctors were tested, while 74 trusts disclosed they had no data on the checks.