Family GP blocks disabled pensioner in surgery parking space for 5 hours to 'teach him a lesson'

A family doctor has been accused of blocking a disabled pensioner's car in her surgery car park for an entire morning because she wanted to "teach him a lesson". The GP was allegedly furious because the disabled 80-year-old had parked in her surgery's specifically allocated space.

According to local reports, Dr Gill Edmondson of Chorley Family Practice, Manchester, arrived at work on 19 January to find a Honda hatchback parked in her personal parking bay. Edmondson then parked her Lexus next to the bay, blocking in the other car.

Unbeknown to her, the £400 hatchback belonged to widower Mohammed Hossain, who suffers from high blood pressure as a result of a stroke. Hussain was running late for a 9.30am appointment and had been unable to find the disabled parking bays.

When grandfather Hossain completed his appointment and returned to his find his car blocked. he immediately went back into the surgery to apologise for his mistake and plead with staff for the vehicle to be released so that he could make his way. But he claims that a receptionist told him he would have to wait until 2.30pm because Edmondson was "furious" and wanted to "teach him a lesson".

Unable to face a five hour wait in near-freezing conditions, Hossain took a bus to get to his office. He then called his daughter Rebecca, a solicitor, immediately. Ms Hossain has now made a formal complaint to NHS England.

She told Manchester Evening News: "He should not have parked where he did, obviously. He was rushing and anxious and apologetic afterwards. But it is just pettiness. Someone else could have moved her car and he wouldn't have been left shivering in the cold."

Ms Hossain says she called the police for assistance in the matter: "The police called the surgery and within 10 minutes they called me back and told me that the car had been moved. It is wrong that a doctor should withhold someone's car for any amount of time."

Mr Hossain said: "I was told that the doctor was very annoyed. I was saying a little prayer because I was worried and didn't know what to do. I was apologising but do not think that a patient should be treated like this. It shocked and upset me. I was not rude. I could not be nasty to anyone, especially a doctor who I come to to extend my life."

MEN report that Chorlton Health Centre declined to make a comment and Dr Edmondson did not respond to their request for comment.