Healthcare providers advised how to handle rise in AI-written complaints

GP practices and hospitals are being advised how to respond to a growing number of patient complaints written with artificial intelligence.

Healthcare organisations have reported receiving lengthy and highly formal letters containing irrelevant information, questionable legal arguments and references to rules that may not apply. Some complaints run to seven pages or more, increasing the time staff need to identify what happened and what the patient wants them to do.

The Medical Defence Union has published guidance to help healthcare professionals manage AI-generated complaints effectively. Providers are advised to look beyond the language used, identify the patient’s underlying concerns and investigate them through the usual complaints process.

An AI-assisted complaint should not be rejected simply because of how it was written. Where the central issues are unclear, organisations may need to ask the patient to explain their experience in their own words or invite them to discuss their concerns directly.

Gloucestershire Local Medical Committee has also produced a template letter that GP practices can send to patients. It explains that a short, specific account is often more helpful than a long legal-style document and warns that inaccurate or irrelevant material can delay a response.

Patients are being encouraged to check that AI-generated letters accurately reflect what happened, clearly explain the outcome they want and remove any claims they do not understand or cannot verify. They are also warned against entering confidential medical or personal information into AI tools that may retain or reuse it.

The Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman similarly warns that AI can make complaints unnecessarily complicated and introduce irrelevant legal references. It says this may delay consideration of a case or result in the complainant being asked to submit it again.

Stay informed with the stories shaping health and social care.