CHIPPENHAM NEWS: SUPPORTERS of sacked Chippenham doctor Barney Williams have travelled to London to present a petition, calling for his reinstatement, to the House of Commons.

The 1,700-signature petition was yesterday handed over to North Wiltshire MP James Gray, to be passed on to the Department of Health.

Angry patients are determined to get the Marshfield Road surgery doctor reinstated after a row over out of hours cover led the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust to refuse to renew his NHS contract.

An appeal by the GP, due to be heard next week, has been deferred because an extra 73 pages of material from the Kennet and North Wiltshire Primary Care Trust has to be taken into consideration, a move that has further angered Dr Williams' supporters.

Hundreds of angry patients quizzed PCT chief executive Stephen Golledge at a public meeting held at Sheldon School in Chippenham on April 20.

District councillor Alan Donald was at the meeting. He said: "The hall was packed to the rafters with people who felt they had been let down badly."

Mr Golledge told the meeting he had never criticised the clinical care offered by Dr Williams and the surgery, and said the contract was terminated solely on the issue of out of hours care, but confirmed other matters would be brought up against Dr Williams at the appeal.

The dispute began in September 2002 when Dr Williams, then 63, said that, as a single practitioner, he no longer felt able to work 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.

Mr Golledge has admitted doctors will be able to opt out of providing out of hours care by January 2005 but refused to support Dr Williams' readmission to the NHS contract saying it was now up to the appeals process to decide.

He said: "I acknowledge it is regrettable the PCT reached a position of impasse with Dr Williams."

Dr Williams is continuing to offer medical care at the surgery on a private basis and many of his patients have remained loyal despite having to pay for consultations.

He hopes that after the appeal is heard he will be allowed to return to the NHS.

He said: "I have lots of things to be happy about in my life but I think I can do a great deal of good if I can work for the NHS again."