Black doctors ‘more likely’ to face tribunals

HEALTH chiefs will investigate whether black and ethnic minority doctors are the victims of racism after revealing they are more likely to be hauled before disciplinary tribunals than white colleagues.

The General Medical Council (GMC) said there had been a persistent “overrepresentation” of complaints against black and ethnic minority doctors (BME) in recent years.

Between 2010 and 2016, the regulator received complaints against 8.8per cent of white doctors, compared to 10.2per cent against those from a BME background.

Charlie Massey, the GMC chief executive, said the organisation would “trace the path of BME doctors through education” to establish whether discrimination takes place.

He also said there was an “underrepresentation” of complaints against white doctors, hinting that these clinicians find it easier to get away with mistakes. Together the statistics amount to a “double whammy” of unfairness, he said, asking: “What is driving the overrepresentation of BME doctors that have been complained about, and indeed potentially the under-representation of other doctors that perhaps could be complained about?”

The announcement comes in the aftermath of the controversial striking off of Dr Hadiza Bawa-garba in connection with the death of six-year-old Jack Adcock. The registrar was convicted of manslaughter on the grounds of gross negligence, but the verdict was subsequently overturned by the Court of Appeal.

The GMC then took its own fitness to practice panel to court after it suspended her rather than withdrawing her licence permanently.

Jeremy Hunt, the Health and Social Care Secretary, subsequently ordered a review into manslaughter by gross negligence charges against doctors on the basis they might encourage a culture of cover-up rather than learning.

The review will investigate “diversity matters” around doctors that come under investigation.

The GMC receives roughly 10,000 complaints against UK doctors each year, although only 200 of these are referred to a tribunal. Of these in 2016, only 70 doctors were struck off.

Mr Massey said the GMC’S own procedures were “fair” and unbiased”.

But he added that he GMC was “intensifying efforts to better understand” the issue of under- and over-representation.

Earlier this month, figures revealed the GMC has launched appeals against its fitness to practise panel 23 times in the past 12 months, resulting in seven doctors being struck off the medical register, including Dr Bawa-garba.

Local Medical Committees, branches of the British Medical Association, subsequently declared no confidence in the GMC.