A DISGRACED North-East GP faces an inquiry into how he landed a top job with a care home chain run by a former medical colleague.

Ashok Bhagat, 52, from School Aycliffe, County Durham, was only sacked from the post with one of the biggest private nursing home firms in Wales after bosses read about his shady past.

In June, 2000, Mr Bhagat, who ran surgeries in Shildon and Newton Aycliffe, was jailed for conspiring to defraud £6,000 from County Durham Health Authority.

And last month he was struck off the General Medical Council register after instances of bizarre behaviour were branded a "disgusting and gross departure" from professional standards.

When details of the GMC hearing were published in the national newspapers, Mr Bhagat lost his job with Puretruce Care Ltd, of Caerphilly, run by ex-University Hospital of Hartlepool house officer Dr Prana Das.

But the leader of Caerphilly County Borough Council, Lindsay Whittle, said yesterday: "The people on Puretruce's homes are among the most vulnerable in our communities and I am shocked that a man like Bhagat could be employed there.

"It is alarming to think that he got the job, and there should be an inquiry into how that was possible.

"Who supplied his references and were checks made with the police?"

Dr Das said: "Dr Bhagat was part time, looking after the business side of the organisation.

"He did not participate in the day-to-day running of the care homes, particularly not on the clinical side. Hence, he did not have any contact with the care provision of our residents.

"Dr Bhagat's criminal convictions and other GMC matters were not known to the management of Puretruce until they were published in a national newspaper on April 23.

"At that point his involvement with Puretruce was immediately terminated.

"He approached me for a part-time job. References were taken up and are on file for reference. Checks were made by obtaining references.

"Dr Bhagat was a practising GP for over 20 years, just retired and his registration was intact. In our opinion at this point he was employable."

Dr Das confirmed that no checks had been made with police before Mr Bhagat was taken on.

His solicitor, Richard Beech, said that references were from professional people.

Puretrace, has places for 1,000 old people at 22 registered centres across Wales, and employs hundreds of staff.

Mr Bhagat could not be contacted for comment yesterday.