NEWS DIGEST


assumptions underlying the proposal to raise the ARF. This will focus in particular on the projected fitness to practise caseload. The GDC has said it will study all the consultation responses and a final report, including the findings by KPMG, will be considered by the Council on 30 October, at which point a decision will be made on the level of the ARF for 2015. In an interview in this issue of MDDUS


Social media fuels rise in complaints SOCIAL media and negative press


coverage of the medical profession are helping to fuel a surge in complaints against doctors, a study by the General Medical Council has found. Complaints to the GMC by the general public about doctors’ fitness to practise almost doubled from 3,615 in 2007 to 6,154 in 2012. The dramatic rise prompted the regulator to commission a research team from Plymouth University Peninsula Schools of Medicine and Dentistry to investigate the trend. However, the GMC made it clear there was no evidence to suggest the rise was due to falling standards. Researchers said increasing complaints


were a result of “broad cultural changes in society, including changing expectations, nostalgia for a ‘golden age’ of healthcare, and a desire to raise grievances altruistically”. Complaints networks and social media were also making it easier for people to complain. Clinical care remains the largest cause of complaints, but there has also been a rise in concerns about doctor–patient communication. While attitudes towards medical


professionals are “positive overall”, negative press coverage was blamed for “chipping away” at their reputation, resulting in an increased number of people making so-called “me too” complaints to the GMC. The report also noted that patients now


l DOMPERIDONE PRESCRIPTION ONLY Domperidone will no longer be available to patients over the counter. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recently reviewed the safety and efficacy of the drug and found a small increased risk of


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have greater ownership of their health, are better informed, are developing higher expectations and are treating doctors with less deference than in the past. Lead report author Dr Julian Archer


said: “[The report’s findings] show that the forces behind a rise in complaints against doctors are hugely complex and reflect a combination of increased public awareness, media influence, the role of social media technology and wider changes in society. “We found that while a better


awareness of the GMC has a role to play in the increase in complaints, it did not necessarily result in an increase in complaints the GMC were in a position to deal with.”


Call for clarity on GDC fee rise A MAJORITY of dentists (66 per


cent) responding to a consultation on the annual retention fee (ARF) do not believe that the GDC has provided a clear account of its resource needs for 2015. An overwhelming majority (97 per cent)


of respondents rejected the need for a 64 per cent rise in the ARF to £945 per year. The consultation on the ARF level closed on 4 September with 4,474 responses received. The GDC Council has met to consider the outcomes and broader themes that have emerged about regulation and the handling of complaints in particular. The GDC has also commissioned the auditors KPMG to review the full range of


potentially life-threatening effects on the heart. This follows advice issued by the MHRA in April that domperidone should no longer be used for heartburn, bloating or relief of stomach discomfort. Indications for the medicine are now restricted to nausea and


Summons (p. 10), GDC chief executive and registrar Evlynne Gilvarry says: “The ARF was last increased in 2010. Since then fitness to practise (FtP) complaints to the GDC have increased by 110 per cent. “Without further significant investment in our FtP processes we will be unable to deal effectively with the very large increase in our caseload and so we must make adequate provision.”


Changes in death certification in Scotland


THE first phase of changes in death certi- fication procedures in Scotland have been implemented. Doctors are now required to use the new


paper-based Medical Certificate of Cause of Death (MCCD). Old style MCCDs and incompletely filled MCCDs will be rejected by the Registrar of Births, Deaths, and Marriages and returned to the certifying doctor or another doctor in the team to complete and issue a new form. The new arrangements are a result of The Certification of Death (Scotland) Act 2011 which is aimed at streamlining the current process, improving the accuracy of death certification and providing better public health information about causes of death in Scotland. A second phase of the implementation is scheduled for April 2015 and will introduce further changes including electronic completion and transfer of MCCDs and scrutiny by Healthcare Improvement Scotland, along with a new electronic system of reporting to the procurator fiscal. NHS Education for Scotland has published


tools and training resources on their website to help doctors prepare for the changes.


vomiting. More details at www. mhra.gov.uk. l UNEXPLAINED FEVER IN CHILDREN NICE has published a new quality standard to help healthcare professionals quickly identify and treat under-5s seriously ill with fever and


reduce their chances of death or disability. Fever is the second most common reason that a child will be admitted to hospital. The standard promotes the traffic light system for identifying risk of serious illness. Go to www.nice.org.uk/ guidance/QS64


SUMMONS


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