An Indian-origin woman working as a Speech and Language Therapist (SALT) in the UK was dismissed after admitting that English was not her first language and that she struggled to understand patients and colleagues.
Sai Keerthana Sriperambuduru joined the York and Scarborough Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in October 2023.
She was terminated in June 2024 after completing eight months of probation, though details of her dismissal have surfaced only recently.
According to reports, she had stated in her application that English was her first language, and there was no requirement to provide proof of proficiency at the time. However, within weeks of joining, colleagues reportedly noticed that she was facing difficulties in communicating with patients as well as staff.
During a review meeting held on November 7, Sriperambuduru acknowledged that Telugu was her native language, not English, as previously stated. In December, she informed the panel that she had begun attending English classes and admitted that she struggled to transcribe conversations, especially when patients or parents spoke quickly. Given her role, she also faced challenges in understanding speech patterns, pronunciation, sentence structure, and grammar.
Her line manager further revealed that during the recruitment process, she had requested the use of a chat-box feature so that interview questions could be typed instead of asked verbally. The manager described this as unusual, particularly since she was already living in the UK at the time.
A spokesperson for the Trust confirmed that she was employed between October 2023 and June 2024, and her employment was terminated at the end of that period.
Sriperambuduru challenged the decision at a Health and Care Professions Tribunal Service (HCPTS) hearing, arguing that her education was in English and that it could therefore be considered her first language. However, the panel disagreed, stating that she had intended to mislead the Trust to secure the job. As a result, she was removed from the professional register.
The application form clearly asks candidates to specify their level of English proficiency, stating that English should be considered a first language only if it is the primary language used in daily life, not merely the medium of education.
In her submission, Sriperambuduru said she genuinely believed English could be considered her first language in the context of her education and professional work. She added that she was unaware that the regulatory definition required English to be the primary language used in all day-to-day situations.
After reviewing the case, the panel concluded that there had been an attempt to conceal her lack of proficiency and deemed it an act of dishonesty.