§ Mr. Gordon PrenticeTo ask the Secretary of State for Health what checks are carried out by NHS trusts to verify the qualifications of doctors before they are offered employment; and if he will make a statement. [28040]
§ Mr. HuttonAll national health service employers have a duty to check that the doctors they employ are suitably qualified and experienced. This includes checks on General Medical Council registration, qualifications (original certificates), criminal records and health. Employers also take up personal and professional references for potential employees.
In the case of general practitioners, the health authority will make such checks before allowing principals and non-principal general practitioners to be entered on their lists of approved practitioners.
Where doctors are employed in a locum capacity employers will either make the checks themselves or require the supplying agency to do so. This principle is enshrined in the national contract for the supply of locum doctors and the locum code of practice.