Have you been the victim of a trivial patient complaint? Tell us your story
The Medical Board of Australia says it's working to clear these complaints quicker.
The Medical Board of Australia is promising quicker triage of frivolous or misguided complaints.
It seems a good move. A RACGP poll of more than 1200 GPs recently concluded that some 80% had been hit by the stresses of a trivial complaint.
Last year, Dr Anne Tonkin — the board chair — spoke about a patient who notified AHPRA that their doctor had arrived eight minutes late with a takeaway coffee; apparently, this act implied the coffee was more important than the patient who was waiting.
Part of the proposed fix is a National Triage Committee. Set up last year, it aims to identify misguided complaints and clear them in weeks rather than months.
