Statistics from the Abuse in Therapy (AIT) Support Network in
the U.K.
by Veronica Currie (VECurrie@aol.com)
The region covered in this report includes Scotland, England and Wales.
Between 1991 and 1998, Abuse in Therapy Support Network provided
information, support and advocacy for 137 clients who had been
abused by 'trusted professionals.' Of the 137 clients, 68 clients
felt unable/unwilling to pursue a formal complaint against their
abuser whilst 69 clients pursued formal complaints.
Of the 69 clients who pursued formal complaints, the breakdown is
as follows:
Complaints against doctors and psychiatrists - 27
The regulatory body for UK doctors and psychiatrists is the
General Medical Council (GMC). It is a statutory body, receiving its
powers from government. The GMC states that its purpose is summed up
in the phrase "protecting patients, guiding doctors". The
GMC is self policing. It has a Disciplinary Council of 104 members -
54 doctors elected by doctors on the register, 25 members of the
public nominated by Privy Council and 25 doctors appointed by
universities and royal colleges. The Disciplinary Council meets
three times a year to consider complaints and other matters.
Of the 27 formal complaints submitted to the GMC, the breakdown
is as follows:
21 complaints were dealt with internally by the GMC with the
complainants being told no further action was required. 4 formal
complaints reached a full, disciplinary hearing.
Of the 4 which reached a full hearing, the breakdown is as
follows:
2 doctors were struck off for one year with 1 being reinstated
after that time. 1 doctor was allowed to continue in practice with
sanctions and supervision. 1 doctor was found not guilty - a
disgraceful miscarriage of justice.
There are currently 2 formal complaints against doctors ongoing.
Complaints against nurses and community
psychiatric nurses - 3
The UKCC is the statutory regulatory body for nursing, midwifery
and health visiting in the United Kingdom. Its purpose is to protect
the public through establishing and monitoring professional
standards.
There were 3 formal complaints submitted to the UKCC and the
breakdown is as follows:
2 community psychiatric nurses were struck off. 1 community
psychiatric nurse had sanctions imposed and is still employed in the
same place of work.
Complaints against counsellors - 14
The British Association for Counselling (BAC) is a voluntary
regulatory body for counsellors and counselling organisations in the
UK. The BAC publishes a very clear Code of Ethics and Complaints
Procedure which it readily sends out to all complainants.
There were 14 formal complaints submitted to the BAC and the
breakdown is as follows:
3 complaints failed to reach a full disciplinary hearing. 11
complaints reached a full disciplinary hearing. All 11 counsellors
or counselling organisations were found to be in breach of the BAC
Code of Ethics and all had sanctions imposed.
Complaints against psychotherapists - 4
One of the voluntary registration bodies for psychotherapists in
the UK is the UKCP. The UKCP works by registering training organisations and trainees and it requires that training
organisations have formal codes of ethics and practice.
There were 4 formal complaints to the UKCP of which the breakdown
is as follows:
3 formal complaints were not upheld and did not reach a full
disciplinary hearing. 1 psychotherapist was found to be in breach
and had sanctions imposed.
Complaints against alternative therapists
and other professionals
- 21
In the UK, it is possible to set up in business as a therapist
without having any specialist skills or qualifications and without
belonging to a governing body. Some of the smaller therapeutic
organisations have a code of ethics whilst others do not. When
presented with a formal complaint, some of the smaller organisations
will not hand over their code of ethics, making formal complaints
almost impossible.
Of the 21 formal complaints against alternative therapists and
other helping professionals, the breakdown is as follows:
2 therapists received jail sentences ( 1 hypnotherapist and 1
chiropractor) 8 formal complaints resulted in therapists having no
action taken against them 9 therapists had sanctions imposed 2
formal complaints are ongoing
The level of success of formal complaints was largely due to the
courage of the complainants coupled with the dedication of a small
handful of voluntary workers.
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