The Alliance of UK Health Regulators on Europe has called on MEPs to vote to protect patient safety on Thursday.

Under the proposed draft Directive on the Mutual Recognition of Professional Qualifications, healthcare professionals from any EU country would be allowed to work for up to four months per year, every year, in the UK, without being registered with a UK regulator.

The Alliance is urging MEPs to delete the 16 week proposal from the text and require the relevant bodies in each member state to share information when they take action against a professional on their register.

A spokeswoman for the DoH told ePolitix.com: "We are committed to freedom of movement across European boundaries, and we have been working for the past 20 years on harmonising professional standards across Europe.

"However, patient safety is of paramount importance. We have been pushing for a change in the European directive to ensure that European doctors coming here to work temporarily must notify the GMC, and also preferably register with them."

Forum Response: General Medical Council

Sir Graeme Catto, president of the GMC, said: "Member states must be required to inform each other of any action that they take to remove a professional from their register.

"We need to able to ensure that all healthcare professionals registered in the UK are fit to practise and the effective exchange of information is key to this. We hope MEPs recognise this in the debate."

Forum Response: Nursing and Midwifery Council

Jonathan Asbridge, president of the NMC, said: "Patients have the right to expect that they are protected by the regulatory system regardless of whether the healthcare professional treating them is in the country permanently or temporarily.

"We are urging MEPs to ensure that this measure is passed and that public protection safeguards are maintained."