THERE will be mixed feelings about the patients who criticised their GPs’ surgery on social media being told to find another panel as a result.

The comments were made after a newspaper in Staffordshire reported that an inspection of the Trent Meadows Medical Practice by the Care Quality Commission health watchdog rated the surgery as “good.”

A number of patients disagreed with this, and posted their comments online. Now they’ve received letters from the practice advising them to speak to the surgery or consider going to another GP practice.

One complainant insisted “that’s what social media is for” but, actually, I agree with the surgery. GPs rely on a strict code of conduct and anyone who has a complaint about their service should go to the correct authorities, not slag them off online.

There is a price to pay for public complaints; the surgery is simply exercising its own rights.