A doctor accused of misconduct over the running of a private care home in Birmingham yesterday criticised inspectors who he claimed filed their report 16 months after he shut the business.

Dr Hari Gopal denied that it was solely his decision to close the May-pole Nursing Home in Alcester Road South, insisting he was forced to do it.

He told the GMC that he had plans for the home - including the building of a new extension, the GMC heard.

The GP jointly owned the home with his wife Dr Pratury Lakshmi but problems with its running led inspectors from the National Care Standards Commission to recom-mend it be closed.

Dr Gopal said there was no need to put him "under so much pressure" to find a new manager in 24 hours or face closure.

"You cannot get a cleaner within 24 hours, so how can you get a manager in 24 hours?" he said.

Asked if he deliberately shut the home, he replied: "No. When everything has failed, what else can I do?

"You could understand our situation and we were in a state of shock with the way they [the NCSC] had treated us."

He said the state of the home was no different from the time of the inspection in July 2002 to when it closed eight months later.

"If there was anything I was asked to do, I would have done it," he added.

"There were plans for an extension of the home. There were things to be done. But they have done the inspection and have not sent the report except 16 months after the home had closed.

"When the inspectors came in the July they hadn't raised specific issues."

The home closed down on March 28, 2003, after inspections revealed it was ridden with filth and dirt.

Dr Gopal and Dr Lakshmi voluntarily applied for closure shortly before the National Care Standards Commission was due to take enforcement action. Both GPs are accused of serious professional misconduct over their failure to run the home competently. Both deny the charge.

It is also claimed they failed to arrange treatment for residents even when they were seriously ill.

Dr Gopal and Dr Lakshmi are said to have acted inappropriately, irresponsibly, inadequately and not in the best interests of their patients or the residents of the home.

The hearing continues.