A MIDWIFE has been suspended from practising for a year because of her poor grasp of English.

Barbara Maja Fall was employed as a band five midwife at East Lancashire Hospitals Trust.

But she was charged by the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) with not having ‘necessary knowledge of English to practise safely and effectively’ after a referral from the trust.

It comes after Fall took the International English Language Testing System (IELTS) test but failed to meet the standard set by the NMC.

A test report, dated January 13 this year, stated Fall had achieved an overall band score of 5.5, with a score of four for listening, five for reading, five for writing and seven for speaking.

The required level of English is a seven meaning Fall’s score of 5.5 was below the standard expected.

An NMC report read: “The panel found that the score fell far short of the level required for each component of the IELTS assessment, with the exception of the speaking component.

“The panel determined from this evidence that her English language skills were not up to a standard that would allow her to practise safely and/or effectively in the UK.”

A panel of the NMC said that Fall has accepted that her level of English does not meet the required standard.

The panel said that patients would also be at a ‘real risk of harm’ should Fall be allowed to practise without having the necessary knowledge of English.

The report added: “It is therefore decided that a finding of impairment is necessary on the ground of public protection.”

The panel determined that a suspension order of 12 months was the ‘appropriate and proportionate’ order.

This would allow Fall an opportunity to improve her English and retake the IELTS assessment.

Fall has 28 days to appeal against the decision. ELHT said Fall no longer worked for the trust.