Forum Home → Discussion → Work capability issues and ESA → Thread
qualification to be a healthcare professional (doctor)
We have a client who was assessed for work capability in April 2017 by a doctor who gained her medical qualification in Moldova. The client, who has been in receipt of ESA for several years, scored zero points. The doctor was first registered with the GMC (without a licence to practise) in July 2016 and registered with a licence to practice 3 months later.
We have always understood that doctors require 2 years post-registration experience before becoming assessors, and a statement to that effect also appears on the CDHA website.
Can anyone, please, point me to any legislative provisions or guidance which specify the criteria for WCA assessors?
Has anyone else come across this situation previously? If so, what action did you take?
The legislation specifies a “registered medical practitioner” and goes no further.
CHDA job descriptions appear to require:
-A medical practitioner who has, since full registration, consolidated their clinical skills with a minimum of 2 years’ post registration general experience, working primarily in patient facing roles dealing with a wide range of clinical conditions.
-Full unconditional registration with the General Medical Council with a valid license to practice.
I can’t see why a doctor couldn’t train, register and practice for 2+ years in Moldova (meeting the first condition) and then register and obtain their license to practice with the GMC (meeting the second condition). I don’t think the requirement is for the doctor to have 2+ years experience post GMC registration specifically - for starters, that would probably breach EU law.
If your client wants to pursue the point that they don’t think the assessor was adequately qualified, the CHDA complaints process would probably be the starting point.
Elliot, thank you for your comments.
However, Moldova is still aspiring to be an EU member, and hasn’t joined yet. Would that make a difference?
What’s the problem with the Dr being Moldovan/trained in Moldova?
What’s the problem with the Dr being Moldovan/trained in Moldova?
Indeed. The issue is with the standard of training by the provider here and the subsequent rigour with which zero points outcomes are pursued with a zeal verging on the maniacal.
From what I hear of Moldovan healthcare working for IAS, CHDA et al will be a step up if they provide running water between 9 and 5.
What’s the problem with the Dr being Moldovan/trained in Moldova?
There’s no problem whatever with the Dr being from Moldova. I was under, the apparently mistaken, impression that the 2 years of post-registration experience had to be in the UK, or an EU member state.
I presume the motivation behind the original question was the possibility that an assessment may have been completed by someone not qualified to do so? I stand to be corrected.
Where would that lead? The evidence exists so would not ordinarily be excluded. It would not necessarily even have less weight if the findings were sufficiently close to other evidence.