Doctors with a "poor grasp" of English will be prevented from working for the NHS, Health Secretary Andrew Lansley is expected to say.
He will tell the Conservative Party conference he has an "absolute commitment" to patient safety and that GPs will be vetted to ensure their language skills do not compromise this.
This follows the death of a man treated by a German locum GP in 2008.
Mr Lansley will say a change in the law will reduce NHS users' "anxiety".
He will also promise to reduce bureaucracy and spending on management consultants.
The pledge on language skills, which applies to the NHS in England, comes after the case of Daniel Ubani, a German locum doctor who gave 70-year-old David Gray a fatal painkiller overdose on his first and only shift in Britain in February 2008.
Investigations found Dr Ubani had been rejected for work in Leeds due to poor English skills.
A UK coroner recorded a verdict of unlawful killing and accused Dr Ubani of gross negligence.
GMC powersThe GP was given a suspended sentence in Germany for death by negligence but has still been able to practise there.
In his speech, Mr Lansley will say: "There is considerable anxiety amongst the public about the ability of doctors to speak English properly.
"After 13 years of inaction from Labour to tighten up language controls, we will amend the legislation to prevent all foreign doctors with a poor grasp of English from working in England. If you can't speak adequate English, you can't treat patients."
He will add: "We will introduce a mandatory check at a local level for language skills. NHS doctors are overseen by 'responsible officers', who make sure that they are appropriately trained and qualified for the role.
"The regulations governing the roles of these responsible officers will be amended so that they have a duty to check the English language skills of all new foreign doctors before they can be employed by the NHS in England.
"In addition, we will give the GMC [General Medical Council] explicit new powers to be able to take action against doctors when there are concerns about their ability to speak English."
Doctors who want to work in the UK have to be registered with the GMC.
Currently, only those from outside the European Economic Area are routinely checked for language skills.
Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/int/news/-/news/uk-politics-15164373
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