Grace Mugabe ally's UK surgery shut down

LONDON - A Zimbabwean doctor who was given the farm of a family of white farmers forced ​off their land earlier this year has had his UK surgery shut down after inspectors found a healthcare assistant posing as a doctor.

Sylvester Nyatsuro resigned on Wednesday, the day before an inspection report on his Nottingham surgery the Willows Medical Centre was published.

The report by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) listed a number of failures at the "chaotic surgery", where a healthcare assistant posed as a doctor.

Although not a qualified medical professional, the healthcare assistant, who was employed in March this year, took part in nearly 900 clinical procedures, including diagnoses, assessments of wounds and infections, and diabetes reviews.

Organisation at the practice was described as "chaotic" and employees said there was a culture of fear and blame with staff being reprimanded or shouted at by management.

The report also found there was not enough staff to keep patients safe.

Seventy patients have now been recalled as a precautionary measure following the CQC's findings.

The CQC report branded the surgery, in Carlton, Notts., as "inadequate" overall with its level of care rated as "requires improvement".

It was also given individual ratings of "inadequate" for its safety, management, effectiveness and responsiveness.

The practice, which was closed in June this year, is expected to remain closed while NHS England works with the local clinical commissioning group to decide its future.

Janet Williamson, deputy chief inspector of general practice and dentistry at the CQC, said a "considerable" number of concerns were uncovered after the inspection in June.

She added: "The practice had knowingly employed a healthcare assistant to undertake medical examinations which were outside the scope of the role and for which the individual was not registered or regulated.

There were protests at the Willows Medical Centre earlier this year after Nyatsuro was accused of seizing land from Zimbabwean tobacco farmers.

Phillip Rankin and his wife Anita were evicted from the £1 million farm by a gang of 20 men armed with AK47 guns in February.

The valuable 2 000-acre property was seized and given to Zimbabwean-born Nyatsuro who lives 12 000 km away in Nottingham.

The wealthy GP, who moved to Britain in 2000 and owns a clinic specialising in weight loss techniques, is believed to be close to President Robert Mugabe's wife Grace.

He has always denied knowledge of the violence used to enforce his claim to the Rankin's farm, and says he was allocated the property by the State in accordance with normal legal procedure and that no political influence was brought to bear on the decision.