Record number of complaints against doctors

A record 423 complaints were made against doctors last year, up 12 per cent on 2011, according to the annual report of the Medical Council published today.

Some 35 new complaints are made against doctors each month, up from 32 the previous year. Decisions were made in 396 complaints and 56 were referred to the fitness to practice committee.

Of 41 inquiries held last year, two doctors were struck off and four were suspended. Eleven doctors were censured, admonished or given advice and 14 were required to provide undertakings to the committee.

The main areas of complaint included communication, diagnosis, clinical investigations, follow-up care and surgical procedures. Male doctors were more likely than females to be the subject of complaints, a trend that council chairman Prof Kieran Murphy said needed more investigation.

Arising from fitness to practice inquiries, 12 doctors were found guilty of professional misconduct and 10 were found guilty of poor professional performance.

Despite the growing number of complaints, Prof Murphy said the overall number was still relatively small in international terms.

Prof Murphy said patient protection had increased greatly over the past five years. Concerns that were expressed when Ireland became the first country in the world to introduce a non-medical majority on the regulatory body were not realised, he said.

Last year, 18,184 doctors were registered with the council, of whom one-quarter come from outside the EU. This compared to just 7 per cent from outside the EU in 2000.

Prof Murphy said the new council, whose term of office starts tomorrow, may prioritise the retention of Irish-trained doctors who are currently leaving the country for work and experience abroad.