Complaints about doctors up almost 90 per cent
Complaints made by the general public about doctors in the UK have risen by almost 90 per cent in the last five years, new data from the General Medical Council shows.
Between 2007 and 2012, the overall number of complaints from the public rose by 87 per cent to 5,014.
In 2012 the General Medical Council (GMC) received 8,109 complaints overall – a 24 per cent increase since 2011 and a 104 per cent increase since 2007.
More than half of the complaints were about clinical care, or both clinical care and communication with patients.
Among the public, people aged 46 to 60 were the most likely to complain and women were more likely to complain than men.
The GMC’s report also exposed rising complaints from both patients and the number of doctors willing to report the failings of their colleagues.
The GMC, which regulates around 250,000 doctors in the UK, said the overall number of complaints is very small when the number of interactions between doctors and patients is taken into account.
“Deserve trust and respect’
Professor Sir Peter Rubin, chair of the GMC, said: “Overall the standard of care that patients receive in the UK is good and doctors continue to deserve the trust and respect of the public.
“The GMC has an important role to play in protecting patients and ensuring that doctors practise to the highest possible standard.
Many complaints from individual doctors – 38 per cent – were about issues such as a conflict of interest or criminal convictions held by their colleagues.
GPs were more likely to be complained about than other doctors, and male doctors overall were twice as likely as female doctors to attract complaints.
One in five male GPs received a complaint compared with one in ten female GPs between 2007 and 2012.
The proportion of doctors aged over 50 who received a complaint was higher than for doctors aged 30 to 50. This was particularly true for GPs, the State of Medical Education and Practice report showed.
Professor Rubin said the report also showed that some patients did not know where to go to raise a concern about their treatment. He said more needed to be done to help them raise issues.
“Making a complaint about a doctor can be stressful and it is important that concerns are raised with the right organisation so patients are not passed from pillar to post,” he said.