Government respond to the Committee's Safety First: Mobility of Healthcare Professionals in the EU report

• Report: Safety First: Mobility of Healthcare Professionals in the EU
• Government Response: Safety First: Mobility of Healthcare Professionals in the EU
• Commission: Proposal for modernising the Professional Qualifications Directive

The Committee's key finding was that the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications Directive, which governs the mobility of healthcare professionals within the EU strikes the wrong balance between allowing healthcare professionals to work in other EU countries and ensuring patient safety. 

The Committee recommended that:

• regulatory bodies (including the General Medical Council, Nursing and Midwifery Council,  General Dental Council and General Pharmaceutical Council) should be allowed to test the language skills of ALL non-UK applicants
• an alert mechanism should be implemented so that authorities can share fitness to practice information and warn each other about practitioners who have been subject to disciplinary proceedings
• the list of qualifications and skills recognised by the EU Directive must be updated

On the same day the Commission published their proposal to revise the Directive, following a review of its provisions.