World-leading transgender surgery specialist dubbed the Snapchat Surgeon after performing ops on social media puts his Mayfair clinic into liquidation

• Christopher Inglefield has left patients awaiting surgery in despair 

One of the world’s leading transgender surgeons has stunned staff and patients by suddenly placing his Mayfair clinic in liquidation.

Controversial Christopher Inglefield – who became known as the Snapchat Surgeon after livestreaming operations on the platform – has left patients awaiting surgery in despair.

The London Transgender Clinic, off Harley Street, closed without warning to the dismay of staff who turned up for work to find a notice pinned to the door expressing ‘deep regret’ at the closure.

Mr Inglefield has recently been on ‘urgent medical leave,’ contributing to the decision to close the clinic.

It leaves patients uncertain about the future of planned surgeries and staff unclear about when or if they will be paid.

Controversial Christopher Inglefield (pictured) – who became known as the Snapchat Surgeon after livestreaming operations on the platform – has left patients awaiting surgery in despair

The London Transgender Clinic, off Harley Street, closed without warning to the dismay of staff who turned up for work to find a notice pinned to the door expressing ‘deep regret’ at the closure

Last year Mr Inglefield saw his licence revoked by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service over an operation that left a patient permanently blinded in one eye.

However his month-long suspension is not thought to have contributed to the closure of the business.

A source told MailOnline staff had no inkling that the eminent surgeon’s clinic was in trouble.

They said: ‘The staff went into the clinic last Thursday, expecting to be paid the following day, November 24th, only to be called into a meeting and made redundant effective immediately.

‘The clinic has still not let patients know and has not been able to pay staff.’

READ MORE:  EXCLUSIVE: Transgender expert dubbed the Snapchat Surgeon has his licence suspended after probe into facial feminisation op that left patient blind in one eye

Word only spread among patients when they turned up for appointments to find a notice on the door from the clinic’s parent company C and M Health.

The notice says: ‘It is with sad news and deep regret that we have to announce the closing of the London Transgender Clinic.

‘The COVID pandemic hit the clinic hard and while we have been managing to just about get by, Mr Inglefield’s recent urgent medical leave and with limited surgeons available to take his place, we are going into liquidation.

‘For those who have paid deposits and fees for surgery, please bear with us while we navigate this and organise a surgeon to hopefully take over our waitlist.’

Patients have expressed their anxiety about how their treatment will continue.

One said they had pain from sex reassignment surgery which Mr Inglefield was treating.

The patient said: ‘I’m £350 down, not including the time of work, travel expenses and no better off, if anything I’m in a worse position. I hope he is ok but this is a massive disappointment.

‘I hope those that have paid deposits get them back but liquidation usually means they will pay the creditors first and patients will get nothing.’

Companies House still has the clinic’s status as ‘active’ but there was no response to attempts by MailOnline to make contact.

A former affiliate company, The Gender Hormone Clinic, tried to reassure patients.

In a statement they said: ‘News of their closure has come as a complete surprise to us, with information coming through emails from their patients, understandably concerned their care is at risk.

Last year Mr Inglefield saw his licence revoked by the Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service over an operation that left a patient permanently blinded in one eye

‘What we can confirm is that the Gender Hormone Clinic is not closing and we are looking forward to resuming standard clinical practice once the ongoing review has been concluded.

‘We are deeply sad to hear of the London Transgender Clinic’s closure and send so much love and support to all affected.’

Mr Ingledfield, considered one of the world’s leading surgeons in the field, has been accused in the past of turning his operating theatre into ‘a circus’ by streaming on Snapchat.

He also courted controversy by endorsing plans to transplant a womb into a transgender person who had been born male.

He was suspended in the aftermath of a facial feminisation op – carried out to make typically male facial features look more feminine – which happened on August 7th 2018.

The victim – identified only as Patient A – suffered problems with her vision afterwards and was later informed she had permanently lost her sight in her right eye.

At a serious incident review meeting the following November, Mr Inglefield led investigators to believe that the matter had been reported to the Care Quality Commission when it had not.

READ MORE: Harley Street doctor dubbed the ‘Snapchat surgeon’ after streaming gender reassignments LIVE on social media insists his followers tune in to learn – not ‘for the thrill of it’

His actions in misleading the enquiry were found to be ‘dishonest’ and his licence to practice was suspended for 28 days last December.

The tribunal found: ‘Mr Inglefield accepted the Tribunal’s findings in full and told the Tribunal that he understood its finding, namely that he had acted dishonestly at the meeting on 16 November 2018.

‘He acknowledged that concerns about a doctor’s honesty and integrity can have a significant impact on colleagues, hospitals and patients.’

Mr Inglefield’s Snapchat operations at London Bridge Plastic Surgery clinic (LBPS) shocked some medics.

His live streamed surgeries would begin with messages such as ‘Good morning LBPS fam. Let’s get the day started.’

He defended his actions, saying: ‘Footage from procedures at London Transgender Surgery can be very difficult to watch. Especially for someone not used to looking at images from surgery.

‘We need to look beyond the glossy adverts and glowing testimonials to show the precise details of what happens in an open and transparent way.’

He is also an exponent of womb transplants, claiming the contentious procedure is ‘essentially identical’ to that of ‘cis-women’ – females born in that gender.

Last year Mr Inglefield said: ‘This pioneering birth is extremely important for any trans female who would like to carry her own child.

‘Because once the medical community accept this as a treatment for cis-women with uterine infertility, such as the congenital absence of a womb, then it would be illegal to deny a trans-female who has completed her transition.

‘There are clearly anatomical boundaries when it comes to trans women but these are problems that I believe can be surmounted and the transplant into a trans-female is essentially identical to that of a cis-female.’

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