Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001

A woman and her sick child were kept waiting for two hours at a general
practice clinic. The child became distressed and started to cry. The receptionist
asked the woman to take the child outside because, she said, the crying was
upsetting other patients. The woman demanded to see the doctor who was
rushed. He said there was nothing wrong with the child and sent them away.
That night the child required admission to the emergency unit of the hospital.
The doctor steadfastly refused to apologise, so the HSC could not resolve the
complaint and referred it to the Medical Practitioners Board of Victoria for
investigation.
A doctor in a busy rural practice was over booked. A woman and her baby
waited for two and a half hours to be seen. The examination was cursory and
they were sent home. Subsequently, the baby was admitted to hospital with a
serious infection. In response to the woman’s complaint the doctor apologised
and explained the changes he had made in appointment booking practices, so the
problem should not occur again. The complainant was satisfied with the
outcome and the file was closed.
DENTISTS
There were 195 complaints against dentists this year, 10 less than last year. As in
previous years, most complaints were resolved at the enquiry stage. Seventy-four of
these complaints were the subject of formal assessments by HSC. Treatment issues
accounted for approximately 80% of the complaints with communication and cost
cited in the remaining 20% of complaints.
Figure 7. Treatment Issues Dentists
Treatment Issues Dentists
inadequate diagnosic
Inadequate treatment
Medication
0%
4%
5%
37%
36%
Negligent treatment
Other
Rough treatment
Unskilful treatment
Wrong diagnosis
Wrong treatment
2%
3%
3%
1%
3%
2%
4%
6%
18%
23%
23%
30%
00/01
99-00
Of the 74 complaints dealt with formally by HSC, 41 were closed during the report
period.
Health Services Commissioner Annual Report 2000/2001 43