Dr Alessandro Teppa, 48, was indefinitely suspended from practising in the UK after his poor English was deemed a risk to patients
An Italian doctor whose English is so poor he needed an interpreter to work for the NHS has been placed under indefinite suspension in Britain due to the risk he poses to patients.
Dr Alessandro Teppa, from Brescia, moved to the UK in 2012 and lived in Manchester, working for the Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield, South Yorkshire.
The 48-year-old also worked for the Royal Bournemouth Hospital in Dorset during his time in Britain.
But Teppa’s English was so poor he could not work in hospitals in the UK without the help of a translator to navigate conversations with patients and colleagues.
The urologist was ordered to sit for an English test by the General Medical Council under the International English Language Testing System – but he failed twice.
In 2015 Teppa was suspended from practising medicine in Britain for nine months after the GMC said his lack of English skills would put patients at ‘unwarranted risk of harm.’
Despite being offered three subsequent chances to improve his English, Teppa has failed to brush up on his skills – and is instead learning to speak French.
This week the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester banned him from treating patients indefinitely in the UK after he failed to to turn up for a fourth hearing.

Teppa’s English was so poor he could not work in hospitals in the UK without the help of a translator to help him understand patients and colleagues. This week the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service in Manchester banned him after he failed to to turn up for a fourth hearing
Last month the doctor sent an email in broken English to the GMC saying: ‘I would like to pass the exam as soon as soon as possible (I saw that now there is another possibility with another test) despite now I am living in France and I am speaking more in French, but I really want to achieve the possibility to restart again with the General Medical Council.’
The hearing was told Teppa had been required to get a minimum 7.5 in listening, writing and speaking yet when he first took the test in November 2014 he scored 4.5 in writing and 5.5 in listening and speaking.
He resat the exam in February the following year but only got an overall score of 6.0.
Following his first period of suspension Teppa was offered reviews and it was thought he had been studying English language lessons in his home country in between shifts at work.
But he was given further suspensions in August 2016 then July 2017 when he failed to address concerns.
This week Tribunal chairman Mr Neil Dalton said indefinite suspension was the toughest level of punishment the panel could impose on doctors for English language deficiency issues.

The hearing was told Teppa had been required to get a minimum 7.5 in listening, writing and speaking yet when he first took the test in November 2014 he scored 4.5 in writing and 5.5 in listening and speaking

This week Tribunal chairman Mr Neil Dalton said indefinite suspension was the toughest level of punishment the panel could impose on doctors for English language deficiency issues
He added: ‘Dr Teppa appeared to accept and acknowledge his deficient grasp of English language and this demonstrated some level of insight – however despite this, he appeared to have done nothing to remediate the deficiency, and there had been no progress in this respect.
‘The tribunal has had regard to the statutory overarching objective – namely, to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of the public, the promotion and maintenance of public confidence in the profession, and the promotion and maintenance of proper standards of conduct and behaviour.
‘There is no objective basis to find that Dr Teppa’s position in respect of not having the necessary knowledge of English had changed since the matter was first considered by the 2015 Panel.
‘The need to communicate clearly is fundamental to good medical practice, patient safety, and maintaining public confidence in the medical profession… His fitness to practise remains impaired by reason of not having the necessary knowledge of English. It would be appropriate and proportionate that his suspension should be indefinite.’

Despite the indefinite ban Teppa will be still able to ask for a review of his case in 2020. It comes after he posted a string of pictures on his Facebook pages detailing his travel exploits
Despite the indefinite ban Teppa will be still able to ask for a review of his case in 2020.
It comes after he posted a string of pictures on his Facebook pages detailing his travel exploits.
Pictures show him in Moscow’s Red Square, Tokyo, Death Valley in Nevada US, Hollywood, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Pearl Harbour, Bogota in Columbia, Uruguay, Bavaria and and mixing with the locals of Greenland.
There are pictures of him on West Bank of Gaza, Jerusalem travelling the Cape of Good Hope in South Africa and tackling Table Mountain in Cape Town as well as traveling to Oslo in Norway.
He also included details of his travels around the England, Scotland, Wales and Ireland.