Foleshill Medical Centre to close after appeal rejected

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A doctors' surgery in Coventry is to close after an appeal by a patients' group to keep it open was dismissed.


Angry patients and councillors together with Javed Iqbal (a patients panel member, front).

Coventry Primary Care Trust (PCT) wanted to cease activity at Foleshill Medical Centre after lead GP, Dr Syed Alijah, was suspended in May.

The Save Our Surgery (SOS) panel was keen for his partner, Dr Syed Haider, to manage the surgery.

But the NHS Litigation Authority ruled in favour of the PCT's decision not to award Dr Haider the contract.

Dr Alijah was suspended by the General Medical Council over queries about his medical practice and management of the medical centre.

'Unsettling Situation'

An NHS statement read: "NHS Coventry has received notification of the Litigation Authority's decision that [the] PCT served a valid notice to terminate the agreement for services between the PCT and the practice located at 100 Station Street West, Foleshill, Coventry."

It continued: "The PCT will be contacting the practice for discussions.

"Following this meeting we will be able to provide detailed information to patients registered with this practice.

"We recognise that this process can be an unsettling situation for some patients at this practice.

"We would like to reassure them that we are fully committed in making sure that those patients who are registered with the practice are able to access the appropriate services and best quality care available."

Baldeev Gill, part of the SOS group, believes the PCT should have awarded Dr Haider the contract.

He said: "This surgery's been established here for 25 years.

"It's a surgery where they've got an ideal nurse and a maternity nurse. The staff are great, the GP is great. What more can people ask for?

"We didn't want to go down the legal route. We've said to the PCT all the way through that we want to work with them."

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A government watchdog is investigating a decision to close a doctor’s surgery in Coventry at short notice.


(Left to right) Shabbir Ahmed, Baldev Singh Gill, Salah Din and Javed Iqbal

City health trust NHS Coventry gave patients at Foleshill Medical Centre just four weeks notice it was shutting the surgery in May.

A legal appeal eventually postponed the closure until September but when that failed health chiefs pressed ahead quickly, this time giving only two days notice.

However, the Parliamentary and Health Service Ombudsman has now agreed to review the decision.

Campaigner Shabbir Ahmed said: “I always thought the decision was not right and knew they rushed into making it.

“I am pleased the ombudsman is willing to look into it. We are hoping for the right decision.”

The NHS litigation authority has already decided that bosses at NHS Coventry were legally entitled to close down the surgery. However, ombudsman Ann Abraham can still review how the health trust went about shutting the practice.

In particular she can decide whether the primary care trust gave patients sufficient notice and whether it met any obligations to consult them on changes to local services.

Protesters previously asked the ombudsman to investigate during the summer but it refused until the legal appeal finished.

Mr Ahmed said: “This has caused a lot of disruption to patients’ welfare. To my knowledge there are still many patients out there who have not registered with another doctor.

“They do not know what to do because they have been with the same doctor for maybe 25 or 30 years.”

NHS Coventry decided to shut Foleshill Medical Centre after owner and senior partner Dr Syed Alijah was banned by the General Medical Council and erased from the local list of approved practitioners.

This infuriated patients who wanted his partner Dr Syed Haider, who faced no allegations of wrongdoing, to take over the practice.

NHS Coventry confirmed it had been notified that the ombudsman was examining the closure of the centre.

It has always maintained it acted properly and in the best interests of patients. Bosses also insisted there were enough GPs with spaces on their lists to re-register all the affected patients, especially as many now lived in other parts of the city.

However, its arguments have done little to stem the anger felt by many patients and staff. Patient panel member Sala Din said: “In this country it seems dogs and cats are well looked after, but not human beings.”

The ombudsman is expected to deliberate over the coming weeks before notifying the patient panel and NHS Coventry of its decision.