DOCTORS could be forced to apologise to patients or their families if they are found to have been at fault, according to new proposals by the General Medical Council (GMC).

A new consultation asks whether or not doctors across Britain should be compelled to say sorry if they have previously failed to do so.

Whether or not they have apologised may also be taken into account when a fitness to practise panel is deciding on potential sanctions the medic faces, the document states.

Those who fail to blow the whistle if they have concerns about the capability of a colleague could face more stringent sanctions under the plans.

The GMC said that in some instances it has been prevented from taking action against doctors who have harmed patients because the doctor in question has been able to show that they have subsequently improved their practice.