Improper relationships are most common reason for being struck off
BMJ 2010; 340 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.c2872 (Published 02 June 2010) Cite this as: BMJ 2010;340:c2872
Having an improper relationship with a patient was the most common reason for a doctor being struck off by the General Medical Council last year, accounting for 15 of the 83 doctors struck off.
The GMC report shows that the number of cases investigated was 20% higher last year than in 2008. The council believes that the increase in cases is related to an increase in the number of inquiries made by individuals within the NHS, the police, and other public authorities. Such inquires have risen significantly since 2006, and referrals from these groups are more likely to be serious and more likely to progress through to a public hearing.
After initial investigation by a case examiner, no further action was taken in 58.8% of cases in 2009, compared with 50.8% in the previous year. Of all inquiries in 2009, 21% (270 cases) went as far as the fitness to practise panel. A quarter (25%) of these hearings led to a doctor being struck off and 29% to suspension (fig⇓).
Almost twice as many doctors were struck off in 2009 than in the year before—68 were struck off immediately and a further 15 at a panel review hearing. This is compared with 42 in 2008.
“We are seeing an increasing number of referrals to our fitness to practise procedures from employers and other public authorities like the police, but the reasons for this are not entirely clear,” said Paul Philip, director of standards and fitness to practise at the GMC. “What is clear is that although there has been an increase in the number of cases, the overall numbers represent a very small proportion of the 230 000 registered doctors in the UK.”
For the first time, the GMC data contain details on doctors’ nationality and gender. Of those struck off, nine received their primary medical qualification from a country in the European economic area and 32 were international medical graduates. A total of 37 cases heard by the panel were against women and 233 against men.
The 2009 Fitness to Practise Statistics report and the supplementary fact sheets are available at: http://www.gmc-uk.org/about/council/7036.asp