Give patients a second chance before striking them off, says ombudsman

Patients should be given the chance to “rectify their behaviour” before being removed from a GP's list, warned the health service ombudsman for England, Michael Buckley (pictured), in his annual report published this week.

Nine complaints over unfair removal of patients were investigated during 2001-2—more than about any other aspect of the general practitioner service, said the report. In eight of the nine cases, …