More than two out of three patients say they will have more confidence in their doctor once a new system of regular checks on doctors is introduced, according to a survey commissioned by the GMC.
The new system of revalidation will provide further assurance that patients trust their doctors by showing their doctor is up to date and fit to practise. The poll of more than 2,000 UK residents, conducted by Opinion Matters, asked them how confident they had felt in the last doctor they had seen and if their confidence would increase if they knew their doctor had been regularly appraised. The vast majority of patients reported a high level of confidence with 86% saying they were confident in the doctor’s skills and knowledge, although more than one in ten (14%) said they did not have confidence in the last doctor they saw. The poll suggests that the revalidation process should provide further assurance to patients – more than 70% of those who were not confident in their last doctor agreed revalidation would increase their confidence. Even those who were confident in their last doctor said revalidation would increase their confidence further, with 69% of those who were quite confident and 63% of those who were very confident agreeing it would make a difference. Niall Dickson, chief executive of the GMC said: “We know that patients in this country justifiably trust their doctors. But many also think that every doctor is already subjected to regular checks, and this is not the case – what this poll shows is that they would welcome further assurance. We believe the new system of revalidation will achieve that by showing that their doctor is up to date and fit to practise.”
