Making a Complaint
Who can complain about a doctor?
Anyone can make a complaint to the Medical Council about a doctor. This includes members of the public, employers and other healthcare professionals. The Medical Council may also make a complaint about a doctor. The Preliminary Proceedings Committee (PPC) of the Medical Council is responsible for considering complaints against doctors in the first instance.
More information can be found in the information booklet below;
Making a complaint about a doctor: A Guide for Patients.pdf
Complaints procedure
When the Medical Council receives a complaint about a doctor, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee of the Medical Council must decide whether the case should go on to become an inquiry before the Fitness to Practice Committee. Consideration of complaints against registered medical practitioners is provided for under Part 7 of the Medical Practitioners Act, 2007 ("MPA, 2007"). Pursuant to section 57 of the Act, the Preliminary Proceedings Committee ("PPC") considers complaints against registered medical practitioners on one or more than one of the following grounds:
- Professional misconduct
- Poor professional performance
- Medical disability
- Failure to comply with a condition
- Failure to comply with an undertaking or to take any action specified in a consent given in context of a previous inquiry
- Contravention of a provision of the Medical Practitioners Act 2007
- Conviction in the State for an offence triable on indictment (or if convicted outside the State for an offence which would constitute an offence triable on indictment in this jurisdiction).
Having considered the complaint, the PPC may form the opinion that:
- no further action should be taken
- the complaint should be referred to another body or authority or to a professional competence scheme
- the complaint could be resolved by mediation
- the complaint should be referred to the Fitness to Practise Committee for an inquiry
How to make a complaint
Should you wish to make a complaint against a registered medical practitioner, please send your complaint to the Medical Council in writing, stating the name and address (if known), of the registered medical practitioner, together with complete details concerning the complaint.
What the Medical Council can not do regarding your complaint
- deal with concerns or complaints about nurses, pharmacists, dentists, opticians, hospital or practice managers or administrative staff, or anyone who is not a registered doctor
- normally give you a detailed explanation of what happened to you. This can only come from the doctor or health provider
- order a doctor to provide the treatment you want
- pay you compensation
- order a doctor to give you access to your records
- make a doctor apologise to you
The legal framework for our Fitness to Practise procedures is set out in Medical Practitioners Act 2007, which is linked below.
Additional Information