Anonymity fears amongst junior doctors

A new report by the General Medical Council has found that junior doctors still lack the confidence to whistle-blow on patient safety concerns, with nearly one in 10 experiencing bullying in the workplace.

The survey of 50,000 trainee doctors saw a considerable decline in the amount of raised patient safety concerns (0.8 per cent compared to 5.2 per cent last year), after doctors were informed that their anonymity could not be guaranteed.

The bullying of trainee doctors was also a concern raised in the survey, with one in 10 saying that they had been bullied and one in seven saying that they had witnessed bullying.

One trainee doctor said “If you get on the wrong side of a consultant it may have a big impact on your future career. I’ve experienced this myself and it definitely makes me think twice about reporting instances of bullying, either locally or to the GMC.”

Questions about patient safety concerns have been raised by the GMC every year since 2012. However, this is the first year that respondents have been informed that their anonymity could not be guaranteed.

The report said “Following these changes, respondents made far fewer comments this year than in previous years. This reduction is welcome if it means that doctors in training are not reporting issues that we are already aware of, or if local reporting systems are dealing with more issues on the ground.

“However, it is a concern if doctors in training don’t feel confident to report a concern either to us or locally. We have found that while respondents appreciate the increased transparency in general, the prospect of foregoing complete anonymity has been off putting for some doctors in certain circumstances.”

Neill Dickson, chief executive of the GMC, said “There is a need to create a culture where bullying of any kind is simply not tolerated. Apart from the damage it can do to individual self-confidence, it is likely to make these doctors much more reluctant to raise concerns. They need to feel able to raise the alarm and know that they will be listened to and action taken.

“We are working with those responsible for postgraduate education at local level to respond to this feedback from doctors in training. We need to develop a supportive culture that actively encourages doctors in training to feel confident in raising concerns at an earlier stage.”

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Posted by Karen Motley, Paralegal, Clinical Negligence Department, Chadwick Lawrence LLP (karenmotley@chadlaw.co.uk ), Medical negligence lawyers and clinical negligence solicitors in Huddersfield, Leeds, Wakefield and Halifax, West Yorkshire.

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