Complaints about health staff rise Increased awareness of patients" rights has partly contributed to the growing number of complaints about the service offered by health workers in Victoria. COMPLAINTS against doctors, nurses and other health workers have soared by more than a quarter in just two years, with almost 700 practitioners now working with conditions on their registration. In the past year alone notifications to Australia's health regulator about the conduct of Victorian medicos jumped 14.5 per cent, with a third of the 2112 complaints relating to clinical care or medication errors. In 2012, medical boards were asked to investigate 1571 notifications against Victorian practitioners, while last year there were 1844 complaints. The steep rise in complaints against Victorian health workers comes as part of a national trend, which has seen a 16 per cent rise in notifications ­requiring an investigation or action by the Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency. Concerns over practitioners were so serious in 72 cases that medical boards took immediate action to suspend or limit their registration to protect the public before hearings were conducted. Despite the increased complaints, the high trust placed in vast Victoria's health workforce remains well founded, with just 1.2 per cent of practitioners the subject of a notification. The rates of complaints for doctors and dentists were far higher than other professions, with more than 4 per cent the subject of a notification. AHPRA Victorian manager Richard Mullaly said the reasons behind the increase were unknown, but probably had more to do with a greater awareness of consumer rights feeding the existence of the regulator and cultural changes than a lowering of standards among practitioners. "After three years of consistent increases, this appears to be an established trend, consistent nationally and internationally in healthcare and across other sectors," Mr Mullaly said. We are monitoring this both locally and nationally, to better understand the causes and make sure we respond effectively. Initially, it appears to be largely an increase in concerns about less serious conduct, rather than an increase in serious matters.  Of the 2112 notifications made against registered Victorian health workers, more than half were levelled against medical practitioners. Nurses were also the subject of 377 complaints, while 218 notifications were levelled at dentists. A further 140 notifications related to pharmacists and 114 to psychologists. Of all complaints that progressed to a tribunal hearing, 94 per cent led to a sanction, while 71 per cent of those heard by a panel also resulted in action against the practitioner. A third of the notifications stemmed from concerns about the standard of clinical care of medications, while 12 per cent related to communications and health impalements such as mental health issues or substance abuse accounted for 8 per cent. @mcarthurg Originally published as Don't like the doctor? You're not alone