Ravi Gehlot, has today (Tuesday 9 January) been found guilty after a trial and ordered to pay £30,681 by City of London Magistrates’ Court, following a prosecution brought by the Care Quality Commission (CQC.)
Mr Gehlot provided a false registration document to Groupon, claiming that a business, Chelsea Womens [sic] Clinic Ltd T/A Harley Clinic, was registered with CQC when it was not. This is an offence under section 36 of the Health and Social Care Act 2008.
Mr Gehlot, was fined £12,500 by the court, and also ordered to pay £18,000 costs to the CQC, as well as a £181 victim surcharge. The provider has now been granted permission to appeal his conviction at the Crown Court.
Ravi Gehlot was trading as Chelsea Womens [sic] Clinic Ltd T/A Harley Clinic, when on 23 September 2021 he attempted to deceive Groupon with a false CQC registration document.
The exchange took place when he was in touch with Groupon about advertising a dental business. They asked him to provide his CQC registration documents.
Mr Gehlot provided the false registration document detailing himself as the registered manager of three activities, across two locations, one of which was Chelsea Womens [sic] Clinic Ltd T/A Harley Clinic. Two of the services provided there were listed as diagnostic and screening procedures, and treatment of disease, disorder or injury, which are regulated activities and require CQC registration. There was another activity listed on the certificate which is not a regulated activity under CQC regulations.
The false registration certificate included CQC’s logo and Chief Executive’s signature. Having signed a contract, the certificate was sent on to Groupon’s quality assurance team who were concerned about its authenticity and contacted CQC, who confirmed Chelsea Womens [sic] Clinic Ltd T/A Harley Clinic was not a registered provider.
The registration and manager identification numbers on the certificate matched one issued when Mr Gehlot was a registered manager at Harley Clinic Ltd; this registration was cancelled on 10 July 2020.
Ros Sanderson, CQC’s deputy director of national enforcement, said:
“It’s unacceptable that Ravi Gehlot risked people’s safety by deliberately trying to deceive another company that his service was CQC registered, by using false documentation.
“The registration process ensures providers can meet the standards people should be able to expect and that we demand of them.
“Unregistered services operate without oversight, putting people at risk of harm.
“When we find individuals operating unlawfully by pretending to be registered with CQC when they are not, we won’t hesitate to act to protect people, as we did in this case.”