The number of complaints being made to the Medical Council about doctors is rising, latest figures show.
A total of 189 complaints were made about doctors to the regulatory body for the medical profession in the first six months of this year, compared with 174 in the first six months of 2005.
Most of the complaints in the first half of this year, as last year, related to treatment and professional standards. These accounted for 107 of the complaints. There were also six complaints in the first six months of this year about the failure of doctors "to attend", nine in relation to alcohol/drug abuse/
irresponsible prescribing, 12 in relation to failure to communicate/rudeness, and nine for failing to supply medical records/reports.
The figures are contained in the council's latest newsletter which was circulated yesterday.
In it, the council also reveals that it received a total of 305 complaints against doctors in 2005. Seven of the doctors were complained of more than once.
Half of the complaints last year were made against GPs, almost 30 per cent of them were against hospital consultants, close to 5 per cent were about junior doctors. The type of doctor against whom the other 15 per cent of complaints were made is unspecified.
In the majority of cases the doctors complained of are found, upon investigation, to have no case to answer. For instance, in the case of 276 of the complaints made in 2005, the Medical Council found there was no prima facie case against the doctor concerned. However, in 19 cases the complaint went on to a full fitness to practise inquiry.
Last year the council completed 24 fitness to practise inquiries - a number of which had been ongoing since the previous year. These resulted in six doctors being struck off the medical register; in conditions being attached to the practise of medicine in six others; in other sanctions being imposed in five cases; no sanction being imposed in five other cases; and two being struck out.
Overall, the number of fitness to practise inquiries being held by the council are also rising. There were, for example, 48 fitness to practise inquiries held by the council into complaints against doctors in the five years between 1989 and 1994; some 67 inquiries over the five years from 1995 to 1999; and 97 in the five years from 2000 to 2004 inclusive.
A total of 39 doctors were struck off the medical register as a result of professional misconduct in the 10 years since 1995.
Writing in the newsletter, Medical Council president Dr John Hillery said under existing legislation which governs how the medical profession is regulated, doctors who cause harm are dealt with harshly but only when harm is done. "It does not allow those who are slipping in their standards to be noted and stopped before harm is done.
"Proper regulation should protect patients and prevent members of the profession falling below appropriate standards. Regulation should be proactive and not reactive. It should allow for different interventions in different situations. Our current Medical Practitioners Act is reactive. It has failed patients and doctors," he said.
A new Medical Practitioners Bill has been published and it provides for ongoing monitoring of doctors' competency levels. However, there is concern among the medical profession that it could lead to a situation where there would be a majority of lay people on the Medical Council.