Foreign doctors face stricter checks for work in Britain

Foreign doctors face tougher checks before working in the UK following the revelation that three-quarters of medics struck off this year were trained abroad. Of the 39 doctors struck off in the year to September, 29 obtained their primary qualification from outside Britain, statistics from the General Medical Council showed.

The GMC said it would improve induction programmes and review testing systems. "We absolutely acknowledge that when it comes to the serious end of the scale, those from overseas are more likely to appear," said Niall Dickson, the GMC chief executive. "We have set about a series of reforms to address this."

In four years, 669 doctors have been struck off or suspended. Of those, 249 were British and 420 trained abroad.