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Does the GMC discriminate against BAME patients?

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Dear General Medical Council,

Why is the likelihood of an investigation following a complaint from a patient who ticks the box for any identity other than “White” significantly slimmer?

The GMC is aware of the inequalities in the NHS for BAME patients. Does the GMC not see itself as part of this problem?

Why, if these inequalities are prevalent (which probably include serious misconduct from doctors) are most of the GMC’s investigations by patients from those who identify as “white”?

Yours faithfully,

Jane khan

FOI, General Medical Council

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FOI, General Medical Council

Dear Ms Khan

Your information request - F19/10125/MM

Thank you for your email dated 28 April, in which you ask for Information
regarding discrimination against BAME patients in relation to complaints
and investigations.

 

How we will consider your request

You’ve asked that we consider your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond,
but we’ll come back to you as soon as we can.

 

Who to contact

Matt McCoig-Lees will be handling your request. If you have any questions
you can call him on 0161 923 6579 or email him at
[email address].

 

Yours sincerely

 

Lauren Barrowcliffe

Information Access Team Assistant

 

[email address]

0161 240 8356

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

 

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Matthew McCoig-Lees (0161 923 6579), General Medical Council

Dear Ms Khan

 

I write further to previous correspondence with a response under the
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) 2000.

 

Before providing my formal response, I should explain that the FOIA
obliges us to provide information we hold in response to requests. It does
not obligate us to create information for the purposes of providing a
response. This is most relevant when we are asked for explanations or a
GMC position on an issue.

 

I formally confirm therefore that there is no information held in relation
to your request.

 

Outside of the disclosure provisions of the FOIA, I note that in relation
to the information we provided to you in relation to your 15 April 2019
questions,  the majority of complainants did not disclose their ethnicity.

 

While I do not know what you mean when you characterise non-white
complainants as having a  ‘significantly slimmer’ chance of having their
complaints investigated, I note that because  the majority of complainants
did not disclose their ethnicity in the data we provided to you, there is
not sufficient data to draw a reliable conclusion either way.

 

Your right to appeal

 

I'm sorry I couldn’t provide the information you requested. If you would
like to appeal this decision to Julian Graves, Information Access Manager,
please set out your reasons in writing to [GMC request email]. Please note that
we will only usually consider appeals received within 40 working days of
our response. You can also appeal to the Information Commissioner, the
regulator of the FOIA and DPA.

 

Kind Regards

 

Matt

 

Matthew McCoig-Lees

Information Access Officer

Information Access Team

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

Email: [1][email address]

Website: [2]www.gmc-uk.org

Tel: 0161 923 6579

 

From: FOI
Sent: 30 April 2019 12:17
To: 'Jane khan' <[FOI #571699 email]>
Subject: RE: Freedom of Information request - Does the GMC discriminate
against BAME patients?

 

Dear Ms Khan

Your information request - F19/10125/MM

Thank you for your email dated 28 April, in which you ask for Information
regarding discrimination against BAME patients in relation to complaints
and investigations.

 

How we will consider your request

You’ve asked that we consider your request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000 (FOIA). The FOIA gives us 20 working days to respond,
but we’ll come back to you as soon as we can.

 

Who to contact

Matt McCoig-Lees will be handling your request. If you have any questions
you can call him on 0161 923 6579 or email him at
[3][email address].

 

Yours sincerely

 

Lauren Barrowcliffe

Information Access Team Assistant

 

[4][email address]

0161 240 8356

General Medical Council

3 Hardman Street

Manchester

M3 3AW

 

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Dear Matthew McCoig-Lees (0161 923 6579),

I should have been more clear:

of the patients who did specify their ethnicity

Apologies if that was not clear.
I'm sure the GMC is more than willing to be transparent in regards to it's relationship with BAME patients.

I await your response.

Yours sincerely,

Jane khan

Matthew McCoig-Lees (0161 923 6579), General Medical Council

Dear Ms Khan

I understand your point.

What I was trying to explain is that because the majority of patients chose not to disclose their identity, the data is incomplete. Whatever trends may be identifiable in the data of those who provided their ethnicity, this may not represent the true picture because it could change if the ethnicities of all complainants were known.

Kind Regards

Matt

Matthew McCoig-Lees
Information Access Officer
Information Access Team
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW
Email: [email address]
Website: www.gmc-uk.org
Tel: 0161 923 6579

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Dear Matthew McCoig-Lees (0161 923 6579),

And based on the data the GMC does have.
And the GMC (and Publics) knowledge of the discrimination faced by BAME patients.

Does the GMC not think it has a bias against BAME patients?
(obviously considering the prejudice the GMC has against BAME Doctors - is it radical to assume it extends the same prejudice to patients?)

Sorry for having to point the obvious out.

Yours sincerely,

Jane khan

Matthew McCoig-Lees (0161 923 6579), General Medical Council

Dear Ms Khan

In relation to your question, as I said in my first response, the formal response under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 is that there is no information held.

If you have concerns about how the GMC deals with complaints raised by BAME complainants, based on the data previously provided or anything else please email [email address] who will respond to you. Only if you have further requests for information will the Information Access Team be able to assist you.

Kind Regards

Matt

Matthew McCoig-Lees
Information Access Officer
Information Access Team
General Medical Council
3 Hardman Street
Manchester
M3 3AW
Email: [email address]
Website: www.gmc-uk.org
Tel: 0161 923 6579

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Dear Matthew McCoig-Lees (0161 923 6579),

My question was based on the data provided by the GMC.
The data the GMC does have.

The GMC has an obvious bias against BAME patients.
And you dance around the questions has only amplified this.

It's too much to ask the GMC to consider this?
A public flogging is what it takes for the GMC to consider it's institutional racism?
( against patients, doctors and staff)

Yours sincerely,

Jane khan

We don't know whether the most recent response to this request contains information or not – if you are Jane khan please sign in and let everyone know.