TY - JOUR T1 - Embracing diversity: when is it OK to speak languages other than English in the consulting room? JF - British Journal of General Practice JO - Br J Gen Pract SP - 311 LP - 312 DO - 10.3399/bjgp19X704057 VL - 69 IS - 683 AU - Fiona Sim Y1 - 2019/06/01 UR - http://bjgp.org/content/69/683/311.abstract N2 - It is well recognised that language is central to good communication in all clinical consultations. The national focus on clinical staff being fluent in English is important and proportionate. Recently, a midwife was suspended from the UK Nursing and Midwifery Council Register because of deficient competency in English1 until she is able to demonstrate that she has reached the necessary standard of English for safe practice.2The General Medical Council (GMC) similarly expects all licensed doctors to: ‘… have the necessary knowledge of the English language to provide a good standard of practice and care in the UK.’3For those European doctors who are not required by the GMC to pass a national English language test, the current GMC guidance states that: ‘To practise safely in the UK doctors must have sufficient knowledge of English.’4So why, in Central Midlands, has NHS England felt it necessary to develop guidance for clinicians who may be tempted to consult in languages other than English? The answer lies in the language competencies of our international recruits to general practice in Lincolnshire and the patients who consult them.Lincolnshire, a predominantly rural county in the East Midlands of England, where recruitment and retention of GPs has long been a significant challenge to delivery for the NHS, is the site of an innovative collaborative approach to international recruitment into general practice.Since 2016, the Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee, working with NHS England and Health Education England (HEE), has recruited a cohort of 26 doctors from several European Union countries, all of whom were trained in family practice in their home countries and eligible for entry to the … ER -