York MP critical of judge's ruling on doctors split

He has branded as "peculiar" a decision by a High Court judge to grant an injunction against GPs Martin Ashley and Gillian Towler which prevents them being able to treat their former patients at York Medical Group.

And he has called on the remaining six doctors with the practice to respect the wishes of patients who want to leave so they can continue to be treated by Dr Ashley and Dr Towler.

"Providing health care is not like selling goods and services," Mr Bayley, who met doctors at the York Medical Group last Friday, told the Evening Press.

"There is a personal and human relationship between the doctor and the patient which the court's peculiar judgement has ignored. The York Medical Group has the law on its side, but I hope they will give equal weight to the views of their patients. It would be perverse if they do not."

The court injunction prevents Dr Ashley and Dr Towler from providing treatment to any York Medical Group patients for the next 12 months if the GPs join any other practice within three miles.

The pair, who retired from the York Medical Group on Friday, are now working as locum GPs at Minster Health, which they had planned to join as partners. The practice is next door to their former surgery in Monkgate. Both doctors are banned from treating any of their former patients for a year.

A spokesman for the York Medical Group said today he was not in a position to make a full statement.

But he said the practice was holding discussions with the health authority and with Mr Bayley, and would let patients know the outcome as soon as possible.

"We can reassure our patients that we are providing a full medical service at our Monkgate surgery," he added.

Quizzed about patients' concerns over not being able to see the doctor of their choice, he said they should ask Dr Ashley and Dr Towler about that. "Why did they choose to leave?" he said. "We asked them not to."

Updated: 11:47 Tuesday, July 03, 2001