ABSTRACT
Increasing numbers of complaints The past 50 years have seen remarkable changes in medical care. The range of effective treatments available has expanded enormously, and their accessibility to almost the whole of the population has increased proportionately. It has been a half century of great medical success, so it is somewhat of a paradox that the number of complaints made against doctors in every field of work has grown greatly during this time. The level of public dissatisfaction with the systems for monitoring medical standards has increased, exemplified dramatically by a number of highprofile cases, such as the paediatric cardiac surgery cases origi nating in Bristol, which ultimately came before the General Medical Council. Moreover, as therapies have become more powerful, their possible adverse effects have become more pronounced and the public now seeks protection by more ambitious and more punishing litigation.
