AN Italian doctor who worked at Royal Bournemouth Hospital has been banned from practising medicine for nine months because of his poor understanding of English.

Dr Alessandro Teppa is one of the first EU doctors to face disciplinary action over language skills following a change in the law in 2014.

A medical tribunal ruled that his poor command of English meant he posed ‘significant risks to patients’ and suspended him for nine months while he takes extra lessons.

Dr Teppa, who is from Brescia but was living in Manchester, had worked at Royal Bournemouth Hospital as an urologist for five months between March and August 2014.

According to the Trust his contract was terminated due to concerns with his language skills and it referred him to the General Medical Council.

The GMC ordered Dr Teppa to sit a test under the International English Language Testing System - but he failed it twice.

A hospital spokesman said: “During his time with the Trust he was closely supervised by a consultant team and patient safety was maintained at all times.”

The Echo asked the Trust how Dr Teppa managed to get employed as a junior doctor at the hospital despite his obvious lack of English, but it declined to comment.

Dr Teppa qualified in 1998 in Italy and was granted a licence to practise in the UK in 2012.

During his time in the UK he also worked at Hallamshire Hospital in Sheffield.

His suspension will last at least nine months, the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) has ruled.

In a document, the tribunal panel said the standard of his English was currently "insufficient to support safe and effective medical practice in this country".

Dr Teppa now has nine months to improve his English skills before he returns to the UK for a further hearing.