Almost half of GP practice managers say AI generated complaints affecting staff wellbeing – poll

Almost half (45%) of GP practice managers in the UK say AI generated complaints from patients are increasing workload and having a negative impact on the practice team’s wellbeing and morale, according to a new survey.

The survey of almost 160 practice managers in the UK, conducted by Medical Protection, also showed that only 7% have not encountered an AI-generated complaint.

Medical Protection, which protects and supports over 350,000 healthcare professionals around the world with a range of medicolegal issues, said it is seeing a surge in GP practice staff seeking support with long, complex and legalistic complaint letters from patients that include common signs of being generated by AI.

It said some of the AI generated complaints it has helped GP practices manage have been over 20 pages long.

Medical Protection said AI can empower patients with communicating their concerns, but it fears the additional work deciphering AI generated correspondence is affecting practice staff wellbeing and diverting time away from patient care.

Last month, after a wave of AI generated complaints, Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee issued guidance to GP practices across the country to share with their patients. The guidance reassures patients that they do not need to use legal language or quote laws for their complaint to be taken seriously, and encourages a short, clear explanation of their concern in their own words. It also suggests some steps patients should take if they do use AI, such as taking care when entering personal or medical information.

Dr Sarah Townley, Deputy Medical Director at Medical Protection, 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, 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 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.

“At Medical Protection we support GP practice teams with complaints day in day out and members can request advice and assistance with managing complaints, however they have been generated, in the usual way.”

END

Notes to editors

For further information contact pressoffice@medicalprotection.org.uk

• Guidance from Lincolnshire Local Medical Committee: Complaints and the Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Lincolnshire LMC. https://www.lincslmc.co.uk/complaints-and-the-use-of-artificial-intelligence-ai/
• The Medical Protection survey was conducted on 29 September 2026 at an MPS event for practice managers in the UK. 158 practice managers responded. Full question and results

What impact, if any, have AI-generated complaints from patients had on your practice? (please select one option)

• They are having a negative impact on staff morale due to increased workload 45% (71)
• They are creating some additional work for staff 40% (63)
• They are easier to understand and respond to 2% (3)
• There is no noticeable impact from AI generated complaints 6% (9)
• We have not encountered AI-generated complaints 7% (12)