Foreign-trained doctors are less competent on average than their British counterparts, according to an assessment that is the most rigorous to date and has prompted calls for stricter standards.
Half the 1,300 overseas doctors who qualify to work in the NHS every year would fall short if the bar were set at the same level as it is for British doctors, researchers said. They found that those trained outside the European Union performed notably worse on key exams and performance reviews.
Patients groups said that the skills gap would damage trust in doctors and warned health chiefs not to rely on sub-standard staff to fill rotas.
Regulators acknowledged that the findings raised serious questions about the licensing of foreign doctors, who make up more than