The latest figures from the General Medical Council (GMC) have stated that the number of complaints against doctors in the UK has increased by 50 percent since 2007. With 8,109 complaints recorded in 2012, the number has been steadily increasing year-on-year.
However, regulator of the doctors mentioned that the increase in complaints does not mean that that the country’s medical standards are decreasing. The rising number of complaints was explained by GMC, which stated that the higher patient expectations and doctors’ willingness to report concerns about a colleague contributed to it.
The third annual State of Medical Education and Practice report from GMC said that one third of the total number of complaints required a formal investigation. Professor Peter Rubin, the Chair of the General Medical Council 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…Complaints […] give the health service a chance to reflect and improve the care that patients receive.”
The report also revealed that General Practitioners are more likely to receive complaints than other doctors, while male doctors were twice as likely to prompt complaints than female doctors. The figures were mentioned in the report by the General Medical Council.
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