Vexatious complaints against doctors linked to domestic violence and marriage breakdown, review finds
'Complaints were at times used as coercive control mechanisms by abusers,' says National Health Practitioner Ombudsman.
AHPRA has been urged to pay greater attention to whether complaints are being lodged against doctors subject to domestic and family violence.
This week, the National Health Practitioner Ombudsman released its review of how the regulator was identifying and managing vexatious complaints against health practitioners – either by colleagues, patients or members of the public.
It heard evidence that the notifications process was sometimes being used to cause harm in domestic and family violence matters.
“Complaints were often submitted where a breakdown of a marriage was occurring or where there was evidence of domestic and family violence,” one submission to the review stated.
