A Polish heart doctor working in the NHS has been suspended after failing a tenth attempt to pass English exams.
Astonishingly, it’s the fifth time in 18 years Dr Tomasz Fryzlewicz, 65, has been punished for his poor grasp of the language.
Yet, between suspensions, he’s been employed as a heart specialist at the Princess Alexandra Hospital, Essex, University College London Hospital, Royal Stoke University Hospital and the Good Hope Hospital in Sutton Coldfield.
Despite being repeatedly reprimanded and branded a danger to patients the medic, who moved to the UK in 2006, claims he has been the victim of a ‘witch hunt’.
Dr Fryzlewicz was first reported to the General Medical Council (GMC) in 2014 for his language issues.
Dr Tomasz Fryzlewicz, 65, has been barred from treating patients in the UK after failing a tenth attempt to pass language exams. it’s the fourth time as been suspended for poor English
In 2021 the cardiologist was branded a risk to patients having failed seven language tests and was laid of for ten months — yet was permitted to return to work
He was ordered to report to the doctors’ regulator on an annual basis, and later insisted he watched TV and listened the radio in a bid to pick up better English.
Initially Dr Fryzlewicz, from Plymouth, was allowed to work in hospitals under supervision.
But at his third employment tribunal in 2017 he was suspended from practise for six months after failing to improve his English.
He was readmitted under supervision in 2018 but was banned again in 2020 for 12 months.
In 2021 the cardiologist was laid off for a further ten months.
Dr Fryzlewicz was allowed back to work in 2022 with a condition he successfully passed an English exam within the next 18 months.
But by 2023 he was banned again for 12 months and given a ninth opportunity to take them again after failing the tests twice in eight months.
At his latest tribunal Dr Fryzlewicz was suspended for a year and offered another chance to pass his exams.
He cannot be struck off over language issues but will face a hearing next year.
Some colleagues who worked with Dr Fryzlewicz have claimed they weren’t always sure he understood what they said.
Dr Simon Woldman, clinical director of specialised cardiology at Barts NHS Trust told a tribunal in 2014: ‘When I spoke to Dr Fryzlewicz, I was never really sure that he had understood the instructions he was being given…
‘When [he] spoke, you had to concentrate quite hard to understand what he was saying.’
Earlier Fryzlewicz had condemned GMC investigators as ‘un-humanitarian bureaucrats’ and also claimed he was a victim of ‘indirect discrimination’ due to his nationality.
He said ‘revenge was being sought’ as he was ‘a Polish, Catholic cardiologist consultant earning money in UK hospitals’.
A colleague told a tribunal in 2014: ‘When I spoke to Dr Fryzlewicz, I was never really sure that he had understood the instructions he was being given’
He declined to the attend the most recent hearing and emailed health chiefs claiming he could not afford a barrister to represent him.
In his missive Fryzlewicz wrote: ‘[The] accusation that my English language skills were insufficient to work in NHS has been recognised as false by many consultants of medicine who worked with me in many hospitals.
‘All documents proving this have been many times shown by me to [medical employment tribunal body] the MPTS.’
Dr Fryzlewicz had initially been fired from the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and University College London Hospital due to concerns about his language skills.
Counsel for the GMC Miss Emma Gilsenan told the hearing: ‘Dr Fryzlewicz’s attitude towards the regulator and the requirement that he must attain the minimum standard of the English language to practise medicine in the UK, is concerning.
‘His communications show he is more focused on what he believes to be political and religious persecution by the GMC, rather than on addressing the concerns in this case.
‘There has been no progress since the case was last reviewed in 2023 and there was no evidence of insight and remediation.
‘The requirements upon him are no different to any other doctor despite his feeling that he was being persecuted by the GMC.’
Counsel for the GMC Miss Emma Gilsenan told the hearing: ‘Dr Fryzlewicz’s attitude towards the regulator and the requirement that he must attain the minimum standard of the English language to practise medicine in the UK, is concerning
Dr Fryzlewicz had initially been fired from the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow and University College London Hospital due to concerns about his language skills
MPTS chairman Mr Sean Kyne said: ‘There is no evidence before the Tribunal that Dr Fryzlewicz has a good command of the English language, in the form of satisfactory test scores.
‘The Tribunal was disappointed Dr Fryzlewicz has not provided any evidence to demonstrate what he had done to address the matters giving rise to the concerns in this case.
‘To progress and move forward positively, he will need to change his focus to the present and his future opportunities to practise.’
Previously, only doctors from outside the EU could have their language skills tested by the GMC.
This was reviewed following the case of a Nigerian-born German doctor who injected a patient with a lethal dose of morphine, in part due to his poor English whilst on his first shift as a locum doctor in 2008.
