MALE doctors from lower income groups and who have struggled at medical school are more likely to face professional misconduct hearings, a study showed today.
Researchers found that those who ended up in front of the General Medical Council (GMC) for such hearings may also be less likely to have achieved consultant status or be on the GP register.
The study, carried out by researchers at the University of Nottingham’s Medical School, said that, although only a relatively small number of doctors are found guilty of serious complaints, a number of high-profile cases have led to significant publicity and public concern about medics who fail to maintain adequate professional standards.
Co-authors Prof David James and Janet Yates, a research fellow, described the link with a lower social class background as a “sensitive finding” that they could not explain.
Such students should not be viewed differently from any others, they argued.
