Continued confusion over GP complaints process

The Medical Protection Society (MPS) has found that there is still confusion by GP practices about the current complaints process, despite the changes coming into force in 2009.

Complaints handling is a common reason practices contact MPS for advice. In the past 18 months, MPS received more than 4,500 calls relating to complaints with a significant number of practices still unsure of the complaints handling process.

The confusion among GPs and practice managers was also highlighted during a series of workshops on how to handle complaints at MPS’s GP conferences held in June. GPs and practice managers shared their experiences of dealing with complaints, which revealed that some are still unaware of the correct process.

There were however some good examples of tackling complaints, and several practice managers and GPs shared their experiences of how face-to-face meetings with the complainant had worked successfully.

Responding to the experiences shared at the workshops, Dr Stephanie Bown, MPS Director of Policy and Communications said, 'There have been some encouraging stories where practices have followed the complaints process, responded thoughtfully to the complainants, and there’s been a positive outcome for all concerned. It’s concerning however to see that there is still widespread confusion about what is required.

Receiving a complaint is understandably a cause for concern and dealing with it can be a daunting task. It’s important that practices have up-to-date complaints processes in place in order to manage a patient’s concerns efficiently from beginning to end.

The current procedures for handling complaints have now been in place for over three years and they differ significantly to the previous requirements.

One issue we noted was the divergence in approach when involving the patient who has complained. It is very important that the complaints handler maintains open communication with the patient throughout the process. This includes producing a written plan of action, agreed with the patient about how they are going to investigate and reply to the complaint.

By being involved throughout the complaint process, the likelihood of it escalating can be reduced and the patient is more likely to be satisfied.'

Other requirements that were discussed in the complaints workshops held at the conferences included:

• Appointing a complaints manager and responsible person within the practice
• Negotiating with the patient (at the planning stage) as to the timescale to be put in place to respond. The 10 day timescale previously in use, no longer applies
• Seek appropriate consent from the patient if they have not made the complaint themselves
• A practice must cooperate with ‘multi-agency complaints’ – for example, where there is a practice and an out of hours provider involved in a complaint
• Contact locums or doctors who have left the practice to inform them of the complaint and seek their comments
• Inform the patient of their right to advocacy
• Tell patients of their right of redress through the Ombudsman

Dr Bown concluded, 'Complaints really are an opportunity to make improvements to your practice and potentially avoid larger issues. Some complaints will pivot around the patient’s expectations and perceptions, but we encourage members to treat every complaint seriously, and follow swift and proper process to avoid matters escalating.'