Cllr Dr Zahid Chauhan OBE, FRCGP is a Labour Party activist, committed local Councillor and respected GP. A champion of many Social Justice and Charity causes, he is the Mayor of Oldham. Dr Chauhan received his fellowship from the Royal College of General Practitioners in May 2021. Dr Chauhan was also the Labour Parliamentary Candidate for Cheadle in the 2019 General Election.
A councillor for Oldham’s Alexandra ward since 2013 and is currently chair of Oldham West and Royton Labour Party. Most recently he successfully campaigned for people who are homeless to be put on the priority list of people to receive their COVID vaccination. Dr Chauhan mobilised health workers in Oldham over the new year in 2020, and on January 13 ran what is thought to be the first COVID clinic in the world for people without a stable home to receive the life-saving jab. Dr Chauhan’s actions came two months ahead of governmental advice from Westminster as well as in Scotland and Wales to prioritise people experiencing homelessness for jabs. This work was praised internationally and was covered by international news channels such as CNN and the BBC.
Homelessness has risen 169% under Conservative government and many Public Services are ill equipped to deal with the problem, so in 2018 Dr Chauhan launched a charity, Homeless Friendly. The charity aims to encourage public, private and voluntary organisations to adjust their practices to accommodate those without a permanent home. With the likes of GP practices and Hospitals signing up to the scheme, the charity is already achieving greater access to vital services for some of Greater Manchester’s most vulnerable individuals. In 2019 Dr Chauhan received an OBE (Order of the British Empire) for his services to people who are homeless and in January 2022 was named as Number 3 of 100 Changemakers of 2022: Housing and Homelessness in The Big Issue Magazine.
Dr Chauhan is passionate about standing up for historical injustices and campaigned to rectify the historical mistake made in not honouring Jean Purdy, Sr Muriel Harris and their colleagues for their involvement in the birth of the world’s first ‘test tube baby’. Dr Chauhan’s campaign received backing from chief executive and general secretary of the RCN, Dame Donna Kinnair, Ruth May, Chief Nursing Officer for England, MP Jim McMahon and many more. Dr Chauhan worked with Northern Care Alliance NHS Group and Nicola Firth to correct this mistake. Dr Chauhan is proud to be able to stand up for our unsung heroes.
In May 2018 until May 2022, Dr Chauhan took up the role of Cabinet Member for the newly formed portfolio of Health and Social Care. Whilst in the role Dr Chauhan focussed primarily on work integrating Oldham’s Health and Social Care budgets, something he described as an ‘historic’ moment in transforming the quality of Oldham’s Health and Social Care provision.
Dr Chauhan is dedicated to ensuring the highest quality Health and Social care for the people of Great Britain, working closely with Staff, Trade Unions and Providers to ensure this is the case. He regularly appears on national media and writes on issues faced by Great Britain’s most deprived communities. He was board member on Oldham Council’s wholly owned Social Care provider MioCare, and was Chair from 2015 to 2018. During this time the organisation became a leading provider of health and care. Rated as Good by CQC in every service, this was done whilst being forced to deliver £4m of cuts in 4 years at the height of Conservative Party austerity.
Working with UNISON, Unite and GMB, Dr Chauhan has helped to deliver Trade Union Recognition for the first time at MioCare. He understands that having well paid, highly trained staff is vital to providing a good service. Committed to furthering the cause of the Trade Union movement in the face of outsourcing and Anti-Trade Union Legislation, Dr Chauhan is also a Unite member and is the North West Representative for Doctors in Unite, where he previously held the position of Equalities Officer. Dr Chauhan was also previously an elected central council member of the Socialist Health Association.
Dr Chauhan and his surgery have received recognition for their work in the form of local and national awards nominations – including the UK General Practitioner of the Year 2016.
He is CEO at urgent care provider and not for profit social enterprise BARDOC.
As both a Councillor and GP Dr Chauhan has witnessed first-hand the effects of cuts on our public services, and is working tirelessly towards a Labour Government. However, he is not content to let his community suffer in the meantime, getting his hands dirty to deliver desperately needed services.