GPs receiving 20-page complaints from patients ‘generated by AI’

Some patients are sending 20-page complaints to GPs that have been generated by AI, an organisation has said.

The Medical Protection Society (MPS), which guides doctors, dentists and health workers on legal issues and professional indemnity, said overly complex letters using AI are increasing workloads for family doctors.

Its poll of almost 160 GP practice managers in the UK found only 7% have not encountered an AI-generated complaint.

Almost half (45%) said AI-generated complaints from patients are increasing workloads and having a negative impact on wellbeing and morale.

Dr Sarah Townley, deputy medical director at MPS, said: “AI can empower and support patients in communicating concerns – particularly if confidence, language barriers or health conditions make written communication difficult.

“Even where these issues do not exist, AI removes much of the time involved in producing written material.

“However, at MPS, we are concerned about the surge in GP practice staff seeking support with AI-generated complaints, and the impact this appears to be having on practice teams’ wellbeing and workload.

“Letters can be 20 pages, sometimes longer. They are often complicated, include detailed but occasionally questionable legal arguments, and many fail to remove the AI tool’s ‘coaching’ and common tells.

“Our members take patient complaints seriously and consider each one carefully, but responding to AI-generated correspondence takes a considerable amount of time and work, as the patient’s concerns are often more difficult to decipher.

“This may be diverting time away from patient care, and leading to a less satisfactory outcome for patients.

“One MPS member, after working with us to reply to such a letter, received a further response from the patient within minutes, raising new issues not included in the original complaint. Understandably they felt bewildered and frustrated.

“The benefit of being able to produce a complaint in a matter of seconds also appears to be having the effect of lowering the thresholds around what patients will complain about, and encouraging more complaints to be made in the heat of the moment rather than using simpler routes to resolve an issue.”

Professor Victoria Tzortziou Brown, president of the Royal College of GPs, said patients have the right to raise concerns or make complaints about the care they receive “and complaints can play an important role in accountability, learning and improving services”.

She added: “GP practices take complaints seriously and will have processes in place to investigate and respond appropriately.

“Technology, including AI, may make it easier for patients to raise concerns and improve accessibility for some people, but it also risks producing complaints that are unnecessarily lengthy, complex or contain inaccurate information.

“AI-generated complaints may also include legal language that is disproportionate to the concerns being raised, making them more difficult and time-consuming for GPs and our teams to interpret and respond to.

“What matters is understanding the patient’s concerns, what has happened and what can be done to address them.

“GPs are also increasingly dealing with complaints that reflect wider frustrations with pressures across the NHS, including delays in hospital or community care that are outside the control of individual practices.

“Dealing with complex or threatening complaints can place considerable additional pressure on already overstretched teams and take an emotional toll.

“It’s vital that complaints processes maintain careful human judgement, and that concerns are considered fairly, proportionately and on an individual basis.”

The Public Service Ombudsman has issued guidance for patients on using AI to write complaints.

It says “simple, clear language that explains what happened is always more helpful than complicated, formal writing.”

It says AI providers may use personal information to train their systems and may process it in other countries.

The guide also says patients should not “ask AI to add legal arguments, use formal legal language or refer to laws to make your complaint sound more ‘official’.”