A GP has changed his name by deed poll to Dr John Cormack-the-Family-Doctor-who-works-for-the-NHS-for-free to draw attention to serious underfunding of his NHS practice, which has seen him paying staff from his own pension.
Dr Cormack-the-Family-Doctor-who-works-for-the-NHS-for-free changed his name earlier this month in protest against what he described as the ‘NHS’s ‘systematic defrauding’ of his patients.
The Essex GP is the sole partner of the Greenwood Surgery, a practice of over 4,000 patients that he claimed is the most underfunded in the NHS.
The practice employs four nurses and a part-time locum GP, whose salary is paid from Dr Cormack-the-Family-Doctor-who-works-for-the-NHS-for-free’s own pension.
Dr Cormack-the-Family-Doctor-who-works-for-the-NHS-for-free also claimed that he was paying the practice cleaner more than he received in 2011/12.
He said that, despite 10 years of lobbying and several meetings with his MP and representatives of his LMC and former PCT, a campaign to secure more funding has got nowhere.
Now he has written an open letter to health secretary Jeremy Hunt calling on the Government to ‘stamp out all forms of discrimination in the NHS’.
Speaking to Pulse, Dr Cormack-the-Family-Doctor-who-works-for-the-NHS-for-free said: ‘Patients of our surgery occupy a healthcare desert. I won’t be changing my name back until we get a fair deal for our practice and our patients.’
‘If I were to retire or keel over, the practice would have to be closed. My patients pay their taxes - they haven’t done anything to merit this appalling discrimination.’
Dr Cormack-the-Family-Doctor-who-works-for-the-NHS-for-free is currently in the process of registering his change of name with the GMC and says that he is looking forward to receiving correspondence and payments from Mid Essex CCG in his new name.
Photo credit: Tracy Mortar
