The General Medical Council (GMC) has reported that complaints to them about doctors have risen by 23% in the past year.
The GMC oversees all doctors practising medicine in the UK. Their second annual report entitled ‘The State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK’ has discovered that the number of complaints against doctors has risen from 7,153 in 2010 to 8,781 in 2011.
Notably, there has been a significant increase in concerns about how doctors interact with patients. Complaints about communication have risen by 69% and complaints regarding lack of respect have also risen by 45%.
Chief Executive of the Patients Association, Katherine Murphy, has said that she feels the figures raise concerns about the quality of care:
“Patients have the right to be well informed, treated with dignity and part of shared decisions about their treatment. However, evidence from our helpline supports this report in making clear that for too many patients this is simply not happening. Patients often tell our helpline that they are not receiving the compassion, dignity and respect which they deserve and are entitled to under the NHS constitution.”
The GMC’s report has stated that the rise in complaints does not mean a fall in standards. Initial analysis of the figures by the GMC has suggested that the rise in complaints is actually due to patient’s greater expectations, less tolerance of poor practice and willingness to complain. It is also considered that the media attention attracted by high profile cases will also have had an impact.
It is important to note that not all complaints have led to full investigations. Nearly 5,000 complaints were closed after an initial assessment of the issues and a further 1,537 were deemed not to impair a doctor’s ability to practice. 65 doctors were removed from the medical register last year and a further 93 were suspended.
GPs, psychiatrists and surgeons had the highest rates of complaint and male doctors, in particular older male doctors, were far more likely to be the subject of complaints.
In response to the report and the rise in complaints, the GMC has said that it is working to better understand the reasons for the rise as well as looking at how they can provide greater support for doctors.
A series of measures are set to be introduced by the GMC; including:
- Launching a confidential helpline for doctors this year so that they can raise any patient safety concerns with the GMC in confidence;
- Launching a pilot for a national induction programme for new doctors to the medical register;
- Reforms of the fitness to practise procedures, including setting up the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service;
- Launching a new version of the GMC’s core guidance Good Medical Practice which sets out standards expected from doctors. A Good Medical Practice for patients will also be published for the first time to make clear what patients should be able to expect from their doctor.
The Chief Executive of the GMC, Niall Dickson has been reported as saying:
“We are committed to enhancing patient safety and improving the quality of medical care across the UK…While we do need to develop a better understanding of why complaints to us are rising, we do not believe it reflects falling standards of medical practice. Every day there are millions of interactions between doctors and patients and all the evidence suggests that public trust and confidence in the UK’s doctors remains extremely high.”
The Chairman of the British Medical Association, Dr Mark Porter, was reported as saying that:
“It is a good thing that patients feel more empowered to raise their concerns.”
Comment
It is promising that the GMC is taking a proactive approach to the findings of their report and that they are looking to learn from it and implement changes to help doctors achieve the best levels of care and treatment.
The significant rise in complaints is interesting and does raise queries as to whether it is down to a sense amongst patients that they can and should raise any concerns or whether it is down to treatment standards falling.
The proposed measures to be introduced by the GMC should ensure that, whatever the reason for the rise, support is provided to doctors to ensure that they can offer the best possible care for their patients. It remains to be seen whether this will help reduce the figures next year.
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Danielle Young is an Associate in our Medical Negligence team.
If you have any questions in relation to the subjects discussed in this article, then please get in touch with Danielle or another member of the team in Derby, Leicester or Nottingham on 0800 024 1976 or via our online form.