GMC To Investigate Racism As Black Doctors Face Greater Number Of Complaints

Health chiefs will investigate whether black and other ethnic minority (BME) 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 has been a persistent “overrepresentation” of complaints against ethnic minority doctors in recent years.

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

GMC chief executive Charlie Massey 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 the controversial striking off of Dr 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 this was subsequently quashed by the Court of Appeal.


The GMC then took its own Fitness to Practice committee 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 GMC pursued Dr Hadiza Bawa-Garba

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: “We do know that there is an overrepresentation of BME doctors that have been complained about and we want to know more about what is driving this, as well as whether there is an under representation of other doctors.

“That is why we are intensifying our efforts to better understand this issue through more details research, analysis and advice.”

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


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

Dr Zoe Norris, from the BMA’s GP Committee, said: “The process of establishing a doctor's to fitness to practice is extremely unclear.

"After often a prolonged and distressing investigation, a doctor faces the MPTS and now may find their situation is prolonged by an appeal from the GMC against its own body.

"Doctors are frightened. We are vulnerable and increasingly put in situations that are unsafe and unfair.”

BMA council chair Dr Chaand Nagpaul said: “Issues surrounding how black and minority ethnic doctors are treated in the NHS have been longstanding and we’re glad to see the GMC continue to acknowledge more needs to be done to reassure doctors their regulator will treat them fairly and transparently.”

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