GP surgery manager hit with ban after pension payment failures
A GP surgery manager who deducted pension payments from her staff’s wages but failed to pay them into the NHS pension scheme has been handed seven years of bankruptcy restrictions.
Sonia Simkins, 54, from Foxglove Way in Dudley, ran Hawes Lane Surgery in Rowley Regis, which closed in July 2024 after Simkins was made bankrupt.
It served nearly 4,000 patients and employed 10 staff, including a GP, receptionists and admin workers.
An investigation by the Official Receiver found that between August 2019 and December 2020, and again from June 2023 to June 2024, Simkins deducted over £25,000 in pension contributions from staff wages but failed to pass the money on to the NHS pension fund.
She also didn’t pay more than £50,000 in employer contributions.
Out of the £76,868 owed, just £1,722 was paid. Officials have not been able to determine exactly where the missing money went.
David Chapman, senior official receiver at the Insolvency Service said: “Sonia Simkins deducted pension contributions from her staff’s wages, but failed to pay more than £75,000 into the NHS pension fund – while the closure of Hawes Lane Surgery had an immediate impact on staff and patients in Rowley Regis.”
On 3 April 2025, Simkins agreed to a Bankruptcy Restrictions Undertaking (BRU), which prevents her from starting or managing a limited company, taking out loans over £500 without declaring her status or holding certain senior roles in the health sector for seven years.
Chapman continued: “Following an Insolvency Service investigation by the Official Receiver, Simkins accepted her misconduct. The BRU will prevent her from acting as a company director or starting a new company until April 2032.”
When the surgery shut down suddenly on 25 July 2024, patients were given no prior warning.
The Black Country Integrated Care Board (BCICB) quickly stepped in to help and ensured patients who arrived for appointments that day received care at nearby practices and helped re-register patients with new GPs to maintain access to medical services.
