Large increase in Victorian complaints against health workers

Victorians has more complaints against health workers than any other state in the country, with the medical watchdog registering a 14.3 per cent increase last year.

When it comes to complaints against health professionals, Victoria leads the way.

Victoria has led a surge in complaints against doctors, nurses and other health practitioners.

New data reveals a 14.3 per cent increase in the number of notifications to the nation’s medical watchdog last year, while complaints in Victoria jumped even more.

In 30 per cent of cases examined by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency last year, practitioners were ordered to undertake some form of action to address concerns — including 77 who had their had registration cancelled or suspended.

But with one in 17 people employed in Australia now being a registered health practitioner, AHPRA chief executive Martin Fletcher said the rates of those reported for concerns extremely low at just 1.7 per cent.

As a result of the complaints, 77 practitioners had their registrations cancelled or suspended.

“The vast majority of registered practitioners are doing the right thing, meeting national standards and providing quality of care, and it is a very small proportion at any one time who are subject to a notification,” Mr Fletcher said.

“The public can be very confident in seeing a registered practitioner. In the vast majority of cases they are seeing someone who is meeting high national standards.

“Fourteen per cent for us is a big increase, and we only had a six per cent increase in practitioners, so it is disproportionate to the growth in practitioners.

“Our sense overall is that it probably reflects greater awareness of where you might go if you have a concern, and changed expectations in the community.”

Dozens of fake doctors, dentists and other medics were caught and punished.

Doctors accounted for 57 per cent of the notifications, three times the number of complaints for nurses and more than seven times more than for dentists.

Almost half of the notifications related to claims of poor clinical care, while one in 10 raised issues with mediation and others flagged behavioural, health and communications issues.

While seven out of 10 complaints were closed without any action taken against the practitioner, 8 per cent led to conditions being placed on their registrations and more than 7 per cent received a caution or reprimand.

A dozen fake doctors, dentists and other medics were also prosecuted in the past year for illegally treating patients, with cosmetic medicine and aged care the areas of greatest concern to authorities.

Across Australia almost 3900 practitioners — including 904 in Victoria — were allowed to keep working while being actively monitored for concerns over their performance, health and conduct.

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Mr Fletcher encouraged anyone concerned about a health professional to examine their registration at the AHPRA website.

“For conduct and performance, in the vast majority of cases those restrictions will be the register.

“People can see those requirements and should make their own determination about whether they want to see that practitioner.”

Anyone wanting to check the registration of an Australian practitioner can visit ahpra.gov.au