Few doctors fall short of standards despite rising GMC complaints - MDU
The Medical Defence Union (MDU) said it was pleased to see that despite rising numbers of complaints about doctors to the General Medical Council (GMC), few complaints lead to action being taken on the doctor's registration.
The MDU made the comments following the publication of the GMC report State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK1, which was published today. It found that despite there being a 24% rise in complaints between 2011 and 2012, only a third of complaints met the threshold for a full investigation. Just 4% of complaints originating in 2011 have so far resulted in suspension or erasure from the register (73 cases) and in 2012 over two-thirds of cases identified by the GMC from press coverage, did not warrant further investigation.
Dr Catherine Wills, MDU medico-legal adviser said:
"Clearly the rise in complaints is of concern for both doctors and patients, but it is worth bearing in mind that only a small number of doctors are falling seriously short of the standards expected of them. The GMC points out that 'Overall, the standards of medical care are good and the level of respect and trust bestowed on doctors by the public remains exceptionally high'.
"The number of complaints made by patients has increased and we look forward to the results of the GMC’s research into the reasons for that. It is also noteworthy that an increasing number of concerns have been brought to the GMC’s attention by fellow doctors or employers, probably because of changing attitudes and improved local governance.”
"We were unsurprised to see that fewer than a third of concerns (31%) the GMC initially identified from press coverage and other sources met the threshold for a full investigation. Doctors are prevented by their duty of confidentiality from responding when the media reports allegations about patient care, no matter how alarming and inaccurate they are.
"Patients need to be able to put complete trust in their doctor so it is right that clinicians should not talk to the media, even if patients choose to share personal health details with a journalist. But it does lead to some very one-sided reporting of cases, which is invariably very distressing for the doctors involved and their families. It is reassuring that in so many cases it is clear to the GMC early on that these concerns do not merit further investigation."
Notes:
1 State of Medical Education and Practice in the UK, GMC, 2013 www.gmc-uk.org
