The number of complaints about doctors to the Medical Council increased by 12% last year to 423.

According to the Council's latest annual report, its Preliminary Proceedings Committee, which looks into complaints, made decisions in relation to 396 complaints and referred 56 to the Fitness to Practise Committee.

A total of 41 fitness to practise inquiries were held by the Council last year. These inquiries have been held in public since 2009.

Of the inquiries heard, six doctors had conditions attached to their continued registration, two doctors were struck off, 11 received advice or censure, 11 were found not guilty and a further 14 provided undertakings about their future practice to the Committee.

Four reports of inquiries are waiting to go before the full Medical Council for consideration, according to the report.

The majority of complaints made related to doctors allegedly failing in their responsibilities to patients, which accounted for 229 complaints, including three relating to doctors allegedly failing to report abuse of children, elderly or vulnerable adults.

Twenty-nine complaints related to refusal to treat a patient. Under the category of treatment, 105 complaints related to alleged misdiagnosis.

The Council can now to attach more that one category to a complaint; that is, a complaint might be in relation to poor communication but may also mention failure to refer a patient. The categories do not add to the number of complaints received in a year eg. 423 complaints received in 2012.

According to the Council, 35 doctors are currently availing of support from its Health Committee, which deals with doctors who have health problems, including addiction issues.

The current Council is about to complete its term of office, and a new Council with newly elected and appointed members takes over next month.

Council President Prof Kieran Murphy said: "I believe that the implementation of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 during this Council’s tenure has resulted in significantly greater protection for patients and has facilitated enhanced professional development at all stages of a doctor’s professional life." 

The Act provided for fitness to practise inquiries to be held in public.

In addition, under the Act, professional competence requirements have been introduced, making it a legal obligation for all doctors to keep their knowledge and skills up to date.

The Council has now developed an online complaints form, for patients who want to register a complaint against a doctor. The form is available on www.medicalcouncil.ie

Reflecting on the Council’s term of office, Professor Kieran Murphy, President of the Medical Council, said: “I believe that the implementation of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007 during this Council’s tenure has resulted in significantly greater protection for patients and has facilitated enhanced professional development at all stages of a doctor’s professional life.  In particular, professional competence requirements have been introduced, making it a legal obligation for all doctors to keep their knowledge and skills up to date throughout their professional lives.

“The protection of patients and the support of doctors are central themes that have guided this Council over the past five years.  In addition, the presence of a non-medical majority on Council has been a world first in medical regulation which has greatly facilitated and enhanced our ability to ensure that the interests of patients remain the cornerstone underpinning all of our work”.

Highlights from the annual report include:

A continued focus on education and training standards at undergraduate, intern and postgraduate level - An extensive accreditation schedule was undertaken in 2012.  Nine programmes in Ireland now graduate medical students.  To support the delivery of intern training, guidelines on remediation of doctors in the intern year were published.  Nine intern training sites were inspected and approved, bringing the total number of approved intern training sites in the State to 47.  Five postgraduate training bodies, and five associated programmes of specialist training, were evaluated.
There were 18,184 doctors registered with the Medical Council, entitling them to practise medicine in Ireland.  1,263 doctors were registered for the first time for entry to the Register of Medical Practitioners. Of these, 652 applicants were from outside the European Economic Area.
The Council’s website received over 450,000 visits, with 40% of traffic from outside of Ireland.
Revised procedures for the processing of complaints were introduced, and Medical Council case officers became the first ever graduates of a Certified Investigator Training Programme with the Chartered Institute of Arbitrators.
423 complaints were received in 2012.  The Council’s Preliminary Proceedings Committee, which considers complaints about doctors, made decisions regarding 396 complaints in 2012.  41 Fitness to Practise inquiries were completed during the year. 
Speaking at the launch of the annual report, CEO of the Medical Council, Ms Caroline Spillane said: “As the number of complaints we receive continues to increase, it’s important that our procedures are fair, transparent and robust.  By moving to a model whereby complaints are investigated by case officers specifically trained to deal with sensitive issues, both complainants and doctors benefit from having a designated contact throughout the complaints process.”