A MEETING of Enfield and Haringey Division of the BMA yesterday stated that it was appalled by the treatment of Dr Nicholas-Pillai, an Enfield GP, and the long standing Secretary of the division.
His GP surgery, Bush Hill Park Medical Practice was closed down by Enfield PCT on Monday, May 17 at one working day’s notice.
Dr Nicholas-Pillai and his wife started the practice in 1981.The practice became very popular and the list grew to nearly 5000 patients.
On Monday, May 17 patients found that their GP surgery had been suddenly closed and were left to collect their prescriptions in the street.
On May 19 the Enfield Independent newspaper, carried a front page article which began ‘A GP practice has closed because doctors were putting patients at risk, say health bosses.’
In this disgraceful way, the reputation and good standing of Dr Nicholas-Pillai, his wife and a colleague, have been attacked.
The newspaper article produces no evidence for the allegation ‘that doctors were putting patients at risk’.
The newspaper quoted Enfield PCT as stating ‘Following concerns about the standard of care being provided to patients, NHS Enfield has terminated the contract.’
The Haringey BMA meeting unanimously decided that:
‘1. We are shocked that these three doctors, our colleagues, have suddenly been accused by a local paper of “putting patients at risk”.
‘2. We are absolutely opposed to the process employed by Enfield PCT, in abruptly closing down a GP surgery, which has been functioning for nearly 30 years, at one day’s notice on the basis of a report from a private company . . .
‘It is necessary to raise this issue widely because we believe that private companies are being used on a broad scale to investigate the performance of GPs for PCTs.
‘They may be sent in on flimsy pretexts and then produce reports which can be used to refer GPs to the GMC, which can result in GPs being hauled up to fitness to practice hearings in the GMC.’
The resolution warned: ‘In the recent climate of transferring primary care from GP surgeries to polyclinics, we are concerned that these companies’ reports are being used as a tool to close GP surgeries.’
The meeting stated: ‘We are very worried that such private companies are being used by PCTs, to harry doctors and discredit the work and reputations of long-standing GPs and excessively involve the GMC, in order to promote a political agenda of reconfiguration of primary care services.’
The meeting decided to demand the reopening of Bush Hill Park Medical Practice and the immediate reinstatement of Dr Nicholas-Pillai and his colleague.
Also it decided to organise a lobby of Enfield PCT to demand reinstatement, and to call for the support of the BMA Council.
The issue will also be raised at the London Region BMA and an emergency resolution will be put to the forthcoming Annual Representative Meeting ( ARM ) of the BMA.
The meeting also decided to contact the patients in the ‘Friends of Bush Hill Park Surgery’ and ask them to participate in the organisation of a mass petition in the area of the surgery.