Nurses to face English tests before entering Britain

Overseas nurses applying for registration in Britain will first have to sit an English language test in their own country, the Nursing and Midwifery Council has announced.At present, the council determines whether an English test is necessary on the basis of the written application for registration, with some nurses paying their application fee and later having it refunded after an unsatisfactory test.NMC policy and standards director Adrian Reyes-Hughes said the move was a change of process, not rules: 'Having practitioners sit the language test before paying their application fee will reduce waiting time and disappointment.'