News

17 May 2010

A doctor’s union has warned GPs that they do not have the right to stop their patients recording consultations, in stark contrast to the position taken by Atos in relation to benefits medicals.

The Medical Protection Society (MPS) is an international union for doctors with over 125,000 members in the UK.  According to the Healthcare Republic website, MPS director

Dr Nick Clements, stated: ‘The GP has a duty to see to the patients' medical needs. A GP who refuses to do that simply because he doesn't like how the patient wants to do the consultation may be failing in that duty.'

Dr Clements went on to say that ‘There are often disputes over what was discussed with patients. Video or sound recordings could act in doctors' benefit 999 times out of 1,000. If the doctor is behaving professionally and responsibly they should not be worried.'

As regular visitors will know, this is a long way from the position taken by Atos Healthcare and the DWP, who insist that if you wish to record a medical you must provide a professional operator and a properly calibrated tape machine that records two copies of the examination at the same time. 

Even then, when a Benefits and Work member did just that, Atos refused to allow recording to take place on the grounds that none of their doctors were willing to be taped.  (See:  Getting permission to record your medical)

But then, as Dr Nick Clements pointed out, it is only doctors who are ‘behaving professionally and responsibly’ who have nothing to worry about.