From the moment my letter saying ‘things would have to change’ was received, events started to move quickly.

I didn’t want the principal perpetrators of the scheme to share patients’ records without their prior knowledge and consent (and without giving them the opportunity to opt out) to have access to the computer system on which the confidential medical records of those patients who wanted confidentiality to be respected were kept. Those patients who weren’t unduly concerned were welcome to continue with the status quo – but patients who wanted their records to remain confidential should have their views respected.

I was so incensed I would have been prepared to take over the running of the surgery again – something I had balked at before – but that offer was no longer on the table. I said. therefore, that I would carry on working at Greenwood Surgery – seeing patients free of charge if no agreement could be reached.

The PCT started to engage in underhand tactics. Chief amongst these, initially, was to try to create the impression that patients would be left milling around in the car park as they would be refused access to Greenwood Surgery. This was palpably untrue – I had offered to split the surgery building vertically or horizontally – whichever was the preferred option. Moreover this conveniently overlooked the fact that there was a part of the surgery over which I had no jurisdiction – it was rented from the pharmacist and dentist next door. The aim was to justify draconian action and profligacy.

One newspaper made the mistake of publishing the PCT’s version of events without checking the facts. It was reported to the Press Complaints Commission and promptly published an apology.

Rather than adopt a cost-neutral solution, the underwhelming Chief Executive of the PCT (who had previously been subjected to an overwhelming vote of no confidence by the consultants on his patch) decided instead to move the practice into eye-wateringly expensive fully equipped Portakabins parked in the health clinic car park. Because of a planning permission oversight an electricity supply was refused and so an enormously costly the generator was set up next to it and this ran 24/7 for months on end.

I started to record the profligacy. The first part of this (very shaky) video was made primarily for those elsewhere who might want to know more about the situation – so the geography of the town centre is covered in excruciatingly tedious detail. (Repetitive +++) One reason for this was that may of the people who have over the years made important decisions about the town worked very hard to give the impression they know little or nothing about it and cared even less. Insomniacs may want to watch it as it is a proven cure for the condition.

I found myself in a very weak situation – which was largely of my own making in that, prior to the take-over by the PCT, I could have elected to continue to run the practice as was – but I couldn’t summon up the energy at that time. Now I was even worse situation and faced a much harder task. There was another little matter that was of some relevance: I had previously taken a senior manager to court over his treatment of a group of patients and this gave the local NHS the opportunity to get its own back. Dr McGeachy, on the other hand, had played his cards rather well and his willingness to do the PCT’s bidding stood him in good stead.

The PCT cut off the money supply to Greenwood Surgery – so the staff had the choice of a staying with me and working for nothing or moving. They were effectively left with no choice in the matter.

Needless to say the PCT completely ignored its obligation to leave Greenwood surgery as it found it – as a working surgery. They took our phone number (which we’d had for decades) leaving us cut off – and the computer system was sabotaged and all data (patients records) moved to the Portakabins.

I couldn’t understand why the company that supplied the computers and software had agreed to move the data without first discussing it with me as we’d had a long and fairly amicable relationship. I bumped into one of the employees, Scott Pashby, and he told me that he was surprised to see that I was still working at Greenwood surgery. I asked him why and he said that he had been told that I was moving to the Portakabins. I pressed him on the point: “Was it the New Surgery people all the PCT people who said I was moving to the Portakabins?“ He replied: I think it was the PCT themselves actually.” I pressed him further and he admitted: “ I very pointedly asked the question in the presence of the KEY individuals.”

So the PCT had obtained the data – the patients confidential records – by deception. It took them just 24 hours to move all the data over to The New Surgery but over a year to restore it in anything like its in entirety.

The powers that be must have known that this put my patients at considerable risk – but a common thread throughout my time as a GP was that senior management were happy to use patients as canon fodder in their vendettas. To them it was just a game – albeit one played with patients’ lives and health. To the best of my knowledge nobody was ever disciplined or sacked for letting down the very people they were supposed to protect.

Although the situation looked grim, I did have some advantages. My patients had always been intensely loyal and they rallied round despite having been told “He can’t afford to see you” and/or “You can’t afford to see him – he only sees patients privately.” I was, in fact, as promised, seeing patients free of charge. Some patients even volunteered to work at the practice in order to keep it going

They wrote letters to the press – and anyone they thought might be of support. They put loose change in our collection box. They also beeped their horns every time they passed the practice to show solidarity with the cause.

We also had help from a new MP, Mark Francois, who was sympathetic to the fact that an NHS which promised ‘Patient Choice’ was doing everything in its power to deny them that right. He was just doing his job but his support for his constituents was framed by PCT lackeys as ‘threatening behaviour towards the Chief Executive of the Primary Care Trust.’

Dr John Cormack