Chai Patel
Encyclopedia
Chaitanya Patel CBE
FRCP
(born September 14, 1954) is a British
doctor, businessman and philanthropist. Born in Uganda
to India
n parents, he obtained medical qualifications at the University of Southampton
in 1979 and previously worked in the NHS
. He currently is Chairman of Elysian Capital an independent, private equity firm specialising in investing in the UK lower mid-market in deals of between £10m and £100m, and deputy chairman of HC-One, a nursing home management company.
in 1997. In 1999 he acquired and became Chief Executive of Westminster Health Care plc, the largest publicly quoted healthcare services group in the UK, which acquired Priory Hospitals in 2000. After a management buyout of the Care Home division in 2002, Dr Patel continued as Chief Executive of the Priory Group
, the UK’s largest independent specialist mental health and education services group. On the 5th March 2007 Dr Patel and his management team resigned from Priory Healthcare.
In 2011, following the collapse of Southern Cross Healthcare, he re-formed Court Cavendish as a consultancy and joined with the landlord company NHP (Nursing Home Properties) to form HC-One
, managing 249 of Southern Cross' former homes.
from the Open University
. He is a keen supporter of Labour's Private Finance Initiative
and is secretary to the Institute for Public Policy Research
, a progressive think tank
with close links to the Labour Party. In 1999 he was awarded a CBE for his services to the development of social care policies.
in 2002 "to save it embarrassment" after a damning report into a nursing home owned by Westminster Health Care, which he headed.
due to insufficient evidence.
Dr Patel had been the subject of a sustained campaign against him and had maintained from day one that the charges against him were never supported by admissible evidence. This was supported when the High Court judge Mr Justice Collins stayed the case again Dr Patel pending the judicial review hearing. He called the original charges laid against Dr Patel a "rotten indictment.".
On 15 June, with the consent of the group of residents’ families, the High Court ordered that some of the charges should be struck out and that amendments intended to rectify deficiencies in other charges should be disallowed.
After the conclusion of the hearing, Dr Patel said: "I am relieved that at last this terrible ordeal is over. My family and I have been through a great deal as a result of charges of serious professional misconduct which were never supported by any admissible evidence. I call today for the GMC to look at how it carries out its work.".
, having gifted the party £100,000.
In March 2006 it was revealed that Dr Patel, a Labour nominee for a Life peerage, had made a loan of £1.5m, at commercial rates, to the Labour Party in the summer of 2005. The House of Lords Appointments Commission
, which vets nominations for peerages, is reported to be against Dr Patel's candidacy. Dr Patel said he made the loan following a request, but never expected anything in return. The Labour Party defended the loan, asserting that no rules had been broken. Dr Patel's name was submitted by Downing Street
for a peerage two months after the loan.
The BBC quotes him as saying "[I have] been angered by what [I see] as the leaking of [my] candidacy by the commission" and he has called for greater transparency. He also said he would not have loaned the party the money if he had imagined that the financial support would create such criticism. Further concerned that his reputation was being traduced, he made a strenuous plea for clarity in the handling of his candidacy on BBC2's Newsnight
on 10 March 2006 and in a letter to the HLAC stated he was mystified and deeply distressed by the apparent rejection.
On 15 March 2006 it was revealed that Jack Dromey
, the Treasurer of the Labour Party, had been unaware of the loans and called for an independent inquiry (see Cash for Honours).
On March 29, 2006 Chai Patel withdrew his name from the list of nominees for a peerage. He said that at no time did he have any expectation of a reward nor had he been offered anything in return, yet on a BBC 'Today' programme he expressed the view that he wanted to serve in the upper house (The Lords) as he felt that his life experience ensured that he could make a valuable contribution there.
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
FRCP
Royal College of Physicians
The Royal College of Physicians of London was founded in 1518 as the College of Physicians by royal charter of King Henry VIII in 1518 - the first medical institution in England to receive a royal charter...
(born September 14, 1954) is a British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
doctor, businessman and philanthropist. Born in Uganda
Uganda
Uganda , officially the Republic of Uganda, is a landlocked country in East Africa. Uganda is also known as the "Pearl of Africa". It is bordered on the east by Kenya, on the north by South Sudan, on the west by the Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the southwest by Rwanda, and on the south by...
to India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
n parents, he obtained medical qualifications at the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
in 1979 and previously worked in the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
. He currently is Chairman of Elysian Capital an independent, private equity firm specialising in investing in the UK lower mid-market in deals of between £10m and £100m, and deputy chairman of HC-One, a nursing home management company.
Career in business
In 1988 he founded Court Cavendish, which was rapidly recognised as a high quality continuing care company. In 1996 he merged it with Takare to create Care First, the UK’s largest continuing care company. He remained as Chief Executive until it was taken over by BUPABupa
Bupa is a large British healthcare organisation, with bases on three continents and more than ten million customers in over 200 countries. It is a private healthcare company, in direct contrast to the UK's National Health Services, which are tax-funded healthcare systems and do not require private...
in 1997. In 1999 he acquired and became Chief Executive of Westminster Health Care plc, the largest publicly quoted healthcare services group in the UK, which acquired Priory Hospitals in 2000. After a management buyout of the Care Home division in 2002, Dr Patel continued as Chief Executive of the Priory Group
Priory Group
The Priory Group is an independent provider of mental health care facilities in the United Kingdom. They also manage schools, some for students with Asperger syndrome or high-functioning autism...
, the UK’s largest independent specialist mental health and education services group. On the 5th March 2007 Dr Patel and his management team resigned from Priory Healthcare.
In 2011, following the collapse of Southern Cross Healthcare, he re-formed Court Cavendish as a consultancy and joined with the landlord company NHP (Nursing Home Properties) to form HC-One
HC-One
HC-One is a British healthcare management company, due to become operational on 1 November 2011. The name stands for Health and Care. It will be one of Britain's largest care home companies....
, managing 249 of Southern Cross' former homes.
Policy work and honours
For many years he has been involved in healthcare policy issues, working on numerous government task forces and action groups. He has received an Honorary DoctorateDoctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
from the Open University
Open University
The Open University is a distance learning and research university founded by Royal Charter in the United Kingdom...
. He is a keen supporter of Labour's Private Finance Initiative
Private Finance Initiative
The private finance initiative is a way of creating "public–private partnerships" by funding public infrastructure projects with private capital...
and is secretary to the Institute for Public Policy Research
Institute for Public Policy Research
The IPPR is the leading progressive think-tank in the UK. It produces research and policy ideas committed to upholding values of social justice, democratic reform and environmental sustainability. IPPR is based in London and IPPR North has branches in Newcastle and Manchester.It was founded in...
, a progressive think tank
Think tank
A think tank is an organization that conducts research and engages in advocacy in areas such as social policy, political strategy, economics, military, and technology issues. Most think tanks are non-profit organizations, which some countries such as the United States and Canada provide with tax...
with close links to the Labour Party. In 1999 he was awarded a CBE for his services to the development of social care policies.
Westminster Health
Dr Patel resigned as a trustee of Help the AgedHelp the Aged
Help the Aged was a United Kingdom based, international charity, founded in 1961 by Cecil Jackson-Cole, to free disadvantaged older people from poverty, isolation and neglect. It merged with Age Concern in 2009 to form Age UK.-Organisation and campaigns:...
in 2002 "to save it embarrassment" after a damning report into a nursing home owned by Westminster Health Care, which he headed.
Lynde House
In 2004, Dr Patel was charged with serious professional misconduct and faced being "struck off" over complaints about poor care at Lynde House, one of his former care homes for the elderly. In June 2005 the case was dropped by the General Medical CouncilGeneral Medical Council
The General Medical Council registers and regulates doctors practising in the United Kingdom. It has the power to revoke or restrict a doctor's registration if it deems them unfit to practise...
due to insufficient evidence.
Dr Patel had been the subject of a sustained campaign against him and had maintained from day one that the charges against him were never supported by admissible evidence. This was supported when the High Court judge Mr Justice Collins stayed the case again Dr Patel pending the judicial review hearing. He called the original charges laid against Dr Patel a "rotten indictment.".
On 15 June, with the consent of the group of residents’ families, the High Court ordered that some of the charges should be struck out and that amendments intended to rectify deficiencies in other charges should be disallowed.
After the conclusion of the hearing, Dr Patel said: "I am relieved that at last this terrible ordeal is over. My family and I have been through a great deal as a result of charges of serious professional misconduct which were never supported by any admissible evidence. I call today for the GMC to look at how it carries out its work.".
Cash for Peerages
Dr Patel is a donor to the British Labour PartyLabour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
, having gifted the party £100,000.
In March 2006 it was revealed that Dr Patel, a Labour nominee for a Life peerage, had made a loan of £1.5m, at commercial rates, to the Labour Party in the summer of 2005. The House of Lords Appointments Commission
House of Lords Appointments Commission
The House of Lords Appointments Commission is a non-partisan, non-statutory, independent body in the United Kingdom. It has three roles:*to recommend people for appointment as non-party-political life peers;...
, which vets nominations for peerages, is reported to be against Dr Patel's candidacy. Dr Patel said he made the loan following a request, but never expected anything in return. The Labour Party defended the loan, asserting that no rules had been broken. Dr Patel's name was submitted by Downing Street
Downing Street
Downing Street in London, England has for over two hundred years housed the official residences of two of the most senior British cabinet ministers: the First Lord of the Treasury, an office now synonymous with that of Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, and the Second Lord of the Treasury, an...
for a peerage two months after the loan.
The BBC quotes him as saying "[I have] been angered by what [I see] as the leaking of [my] candidacy by the commission" and he has called for greater transparency. He also said he would not have loaned the party the money if he had imagined that the financial support would create such criticism. Further concerned that his reputation was being traduced, he made a strenuous plea for clarity in the handling of his candidacy on BBC2's Newsnight
Newsnight
Newsnight is a BBC Television current affairs programme noted for its in-depth analysis and often robust cross-examination of senior politicians. Jeremy Paxman has been its main presenter for over two decades....
on 10 March 2006 and in a letter to the HLAC stated he was mystified and deeply distressed by the apparent rejection.
On 15 March 2006 it was revealed that Jack Dromey
Jack Dromey
Jack Dromey MP is a British Labour Party politician and trade unionist, who has been the Member of Parliament for Birmingham Erdington since 2010...
, the Treasurer of the Labour Party, had been unaware of the loans and called for an independent inquiry (see Cash for Honours).
On March 29, 2006 Chai Patel withdrew his name from the list of nominees for a peerage. He said that at no time did he have any expectation of a reward nor had he been offered anything in return, yet on a BBC 'Today' programme he expressed the view that he wanted to serve in the upper house (The Lords) as he felt that his life experience ensured that he could make a valuable contribution there.