11. If things go wrong
Patients who complain about the care or treatment they have received have a right to expect a prompt and appropriate response. As a doctor you have a professional responsibility to deal with complaints constructively and honestly. You should co-operate with any complaints procedure which applies to your work.
You must not allow a patient’s complaint to prejudice the care or treatment you provide or arrange for that patient.
If a patient under your care has suffered serious harm, through misadventure or for any other reason, you should act immediately to put matters right, if that is possible. You should explain fully to the patient what has happened and the likely long- and short-term effects. When appropriate you should offer an apology. If the
patient is under 16 and lacks the maturity to consent to treatment, you should explain the situation honestly to those with parental responsibility for the child. If a patient under 16 has died you must explain, to the best of your knowledge, the reasons for, and the circumstances of, the death to those with parental responsibility. Similarly, if an adult patient has died, you should provide this information to the patient’s partner or next of kin, unless you know that the patient would have objected.
Subject to your right not to provide evidence which may lead to criminal proceedings being taken against you, you must co-operate fully with any formal inquiry into the treatment of a patient. You should not withhold relevant information. Similarly, you must assist the coroner or procurator fiscal when an inquest or inquiry is held into a patient’s death.
In your own interests and those of your patients, you must obtain adequate insurance or professional indemnity cover for any part of your work not covered by your employer’s indemnity scheme.
You must do your best to establish and maintain a relationship of trust with your patients. Rarely, there may be circumstances in which you find it necessary to end a professional relationship with a patient. You must be satisfied your decision is fair and does not contravene the guidance in paragraph 13; you must be prepared to justify your decision if called on to do so. In such cases you should usually tell the patient why you have made this decision. You must also take steps to ensure that arrangements are made quickly for the continuing care of the patient. You should hand over records or other information to the patient’s new doctor as soon as possible.
GMC Good Medical Practice, paragraphs 16–21

The excellent GP
- contacts the patient soon after it is apparent that a mistake has occurred
- apologises for himself or herself or for the practice staff
- tells the patient what has happened and how it can be put right
- co-operates with any investigation arising from the complaint
- tries to maintain a relationship with the patient or family when a mistake has occurred
The unacceptable GP
does not acknowledge or attempt to rectify any mistakes that occur
- does not make appropriate apologies
- has no procedure for dealing with complaints
- hinders or obstructs a complaint or investigation
- allows a complaint to influence his or her care of the patient adversely
- strikes a patient off the practice list solely because a complaint has been made or is likely