The PSA responds to The Times’ investigation on doctors banned from practising abroad working in the NHS

We have serious concerns about the allegations reported in The Times of doctors who are subject to professional restrictions overseas being able to practise unrestricted in the UK. 

It is important that patient safety is not compromised and that effective checks are in place so the public can be confident that they will receive care from practitioners who meet the relevant standards of professional competence and conduct. We expect regulators to have robust systems in place to identify and act upon any relevant disciplinary history, including from outside the UK. 

We are urgently reviewing information the General Medical Council (GMC) has provided to us about the actions it is taking on the concerns about individual doctors. We will be closely monitoring this, what the GMC is doing to understand how this happened, and action needed to prevent it happening in future.

We will be contacting the UK’s other health and social care regulators to confirm how they manage these risks to protect patient safety.