'Half of GPs think they should be allowed to have sex with
patients'
Half of family doctors want the
freedom to have a relationship with a patient, according to a new survey.
One in six GPs thinks it is acceptable to have sex with one
of their own patients, says the survey, while 48 per cent think it is OK to do
so if the patient changes doctor.
Although there are very strict rules to prevent doctors
exploiting those in their care, these findings suggest that many GPs would like
to see the rules relaxed.
The poll of 282 doctors, carried out by GPs' magazine Pulse,
shows that General Medical Council guidelines do not fit with the attitudes of
practitioners.
When asked whether they would support a doctor's
relationship with a patient, so long as the patient moved practices, only 28
per cent said they would not, with nearly half saying that they would.
Although the majority of GPs said they thought a doctor
should not have sex with his own patient, 16 per cent thought that this would
be acceptable.
Two per cent of those polled admitted to having had sex with
a patient registered at their practice.
The GMC currently forbids doctors from having sexual
relationships with their patients. It says that relationships with former
patients are usually 'inappropriate' unless they arise from 'social contact'.
Guidelines also prevent GPs from having sex with former
patients if the patient could be considered 'vulnerable', or if 'the
professional relationship is being abused'.
Dr Tony Grewal, a GP in west London, defended the right of
doctors to start relationships with former patients. He said, 'An absolute ban
on sexual relationships with patients or former patients is an unfair
limitation on the right to pursue happiness for doctors and patients alike.'
He added that a new set of guidelines was needed which 'maintains
the necessary safeguards for the vulnerable against exploitation or coercion,
but gives a framework for those who wish to develop proper relationships.'
15 doctors were struck off the medical register in 2009 for
breaking regulations on relationships - more than those punished for any other
offence.