A SENIOR Bradford GP has been criticised for de-registering a third of his patients and moving them to two other surgeries in his partnership.

Woodhead Road Surgery in Lidget Green is due to close at the end of September following a public consultation.

The Bradford District Clinical Commissioning Group wrote to patients telling them of the closure, along with Manningham Medical Centre, stating patients had until September 25 to find a new practice, or be allocated one.

But Dr Ishtiaq Gilkar, senior partner at surgeries in Woodhead Road, Little Horton Lane and Kensington Street, ignored the CCG’s protocol and transferred a third of the patients from Woodhead Road to the other two practices three months early, on June 17.

He said ‘he only had the patients’ welfare in mind’ in doing so.

But a spokesman for Bradford Districts CCG said: “We wrote to patients informing them of the decision (to close Woodhead Road Surgery) and providing details of alternative practices nearby with whom they could choose to register.

“We have recently become aware that Dr Gilkar and partners have since written to patients with alternative instructions which are not in line with the agreed CCG process.

“ We have spoken to Dr Gilkar and made him aware that this is not appropriate and should cease.

“We will be working with the practice to support patients in resolving the confusion this has caused.”

Woodhead Road Surgery practice manager Roswana Basharat said she was dismayed at the way the practice had treated its patients.

“A lot of people around here are vulnerable, many don’t speak English very well and have trouble coping in the community. “Many of them didn’t get the letters that were meant to have been sent and are confused and upset to find they have been moved. “Closing this surgery will have a negative impact on other surgeries with longer waiting times for appointments and increased pressure on A&E.

“Some of the staff here, along with myself, are losing their jobs. It is as if we and the patients don’t matter.”

Dr Gilkar told the Telegraph & Argus he should not have moved patients early, but that it was a welfare decision and not one boost the register at his other two surgeries.

“With hindsight it was a mistake to move the patients and not let the CCG know.” he said.

I believed that our patients would not want to go and that it would come to the last week and we would have 2,800 patients to place elsewhere, many of them with complex needs.

“ We only had patients’ welfare in mind and moved around 1,000 of them to the two nearest surgeries in June where they would probably have gone anyway. I believe 99 per cent of them are happy with it as they would continue to see the same doctors and nurses. Only a handful have complained.

“I am very sorry if it has caused anyone distress. Any patients who want to re-register with us for the final three months may do so.”

Bradford West MP Naz Shah said she was concerned about the surgery closures and will be meeting senior CCG managers on July 7 about the issue.

She said: “I feel this decision is unwarranted and this leaves me with both anger and concern for vulnerable local residents. The inner city area of Bradford has the highest levels of need yet it is least funded to cope with the demand in services. I will be asking the commissioner to halt these closures and revisit the entire process.”