Barbara F. worked as a midwife at Burnley Hospital. She was suspended from duties when her superiors realized that she did not speak English. The rationale for the decision was to ensure the safety of patients.
Her superiors discovered that she had not attended any labor because she did not know the language. The punishment was to last 12 months. During this time, the Polish woman was to learn the language and take the exam. After this time, she was able to return to work in the hospital. Unexpectedly, however, she decided to quit her job and sue the hospital for unfair punishment.
As reported by metro.co.uk. the court case was conducted in Polish and the court upheld the hospital’s decision and gave the midwife time to learn the language. The case was also referred to the Council of Nurses and Midwives.
“The fact that the hearing had to be conducted in Polish tells everything about the case,” said Philip Davies, a local councilor. – It’s a complete farce. It was a huge waste of taxpayers’ money.
It is worth noting that when Barbara F. first registered to work in the UK, the international system for testing English for nurses did not apply to EU nationals.
source: metro.co.uk