GP fears NHS career over after he is let go by text

Dr John Cosgrove has worked for the NHS for 24 years

A doctor who has worked for the NHS for 24 years said he was told he was no longer needed by text message.

Dr John Cosgrove said he was contacted by Primary Care 24 (PC24) 15 minutes before the end of one of his shifts, which he worked on a zero-hours contract.

The 49-year-old from Formby, Merseyside, said despite the terms of his one-and-a-half-day-a-week contract, the message was "a shock" and "pretty discourteous".

PC24 said it had apologised to Dr Cosgrove for the way the information was communicated to him.

'No warning'

The father-of-two, who runs a private practice with his wife, told the BBC he feared "this is the end of my NHS career".

He said "contractually they did nothing wrong", but that it was "no way to finish it".

“I had no warning and was surprised at the way they got rid of me," he said.

Dr Cosgrove said he received a call from the firm later, "apologising for the manner of the communication".

He added: “They said I should have had a phone call at the very least.

“I thought they were keen and in the 24 years of working for the NHS, I’ve never had bookings cancelled like this.

“It makes me sad.”

PC24 said: "Our medical director spoke directly to Dr Cosgrove and apologised for the way in which the information was communicated to him, which has been addressed internally.

"The temporary role has now been filled by a salaried clinician, however, Dr Cosgrove remains employed as bank GP with the organisation and can choose to avail of clinical shifts within the NHS as he wishes."