The doctors' regulator is trying to make its service easier for patients

The General Medical Council is outlining its plans to a Scottish NHS Confederation conference in Carnoustie.

The announcement follows criticisms in a leaked letter from the Shipman Inquiry team.

It suggested that attempts by the GMC to reform the process by which doctors are judged by their peers have not gone far enough.

The case of Dr Harold Shipman, who murdered at least 215 of his patients, led to suggestions that the GMC often failed to take the concerns of members of the public seriously enough.

A letter from solicitor Henry Palin to the GMC, outlining areas of concern likely to be raised in the Shipman Inquiry findings, was published in the health journal Pulse.

It accused the council of being self-serving, biased in favour of doctors, failing to protect patients, being overly-secretive and acting through "expediency rather than principle".

The reforms announced by the GMC have been seen as an effort to hold on to its role as the profession's regulatory body.

Harold Shipman killed hundreds of his patients

But the GMC's Director of Fitness to Practice, Paul Philip, has stressed the significance of changes being made through internal reform.

Speaking on the BBC's Good Morning Scotland programme, he said: "Some of the criticism which has been levelled at the GMC is no doubt justified in terms of past practice however some of it, we would say, is not justified - indeed the vast majority of it we would suggest has been dealt with through our reform programme.

"One of the fundamental planks of our reform programme is about consistency, appropriateness and transparency."

Quicker complaints

The major thrust of the latest change is to end the situation where doctors are seen to stand in judgement of their colleagues.

The complaints process will be simpler and quicker for patients and more background checks will be made into minor complaints.

The GMC has said that a surprisingly small number of Scottish patients complain about doctors.

Although it would expect the Scottish population to account for about 10% of cases, they actually only make up 1% of the Council's workload.

Mr Philip said: "One of the criticisms that has been levelled at the GMC is that it is not completely objective.

"Whether or not that's true, I think you would have to look at a very great amount of files and cases over the years."