Medics face biggest shake-up in 150 years over the handling of complaints

THE biggest shake-up in disciplinary procedures for doctors in 150 years comes into force today.

The General Medical Council is launching the new Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) which separates decision-making over fitness to practise from its complaint handling, investigation and case presentation.

Officials say it will offer a new impartial adjudication service under reforms which were originally triggered by the inquiry into the serial killer GP Harold Shipman.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Figures show 27 doctors from Yorkshire had a GMC fitness to practise hearing in 2011.

The GMC has revealed it received 710 complaints about doctors from the region last year, including 361 covering clinical care, 137 relating to probity and 116 concerning relationships with patients. There were 242 fitness to practise hearings for UK doctors and the GMC received nearly 11,000 complaints in 2011.

From today, the Manchester-based service will take over all fitness to practise cases relating to doctors from the GMC and make decisions on what action is needed to protect patients.

In the most serious cases, panels can remove or suspend a doctor from the medical register or place restrictions on their practice.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It can also take early action to ensure patient safety by considering cases before a full hearing by placing restrictions on doctor immediately or suspend them while investigations proceed.

The changes stem originally from the findings of the inquiry into Shipman which recommended there should be clear separation between the power to investigate and the power to adjudicate over concerns about health professionals.

The Government watered down the original plans and the tribunal service will remain part of the GMC although operationally separate from its other activities.

GMC chief executive Niall Dickson said it was the biggest change to fitness to practise hearings since they were first established in 1858.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Although panels already make their decisions independently, it is important that their autonomy is clear and that the oversight of their work is quite separate from our investigatory activity, he said.