Five practices have successfully gained substantial reductions in property service charges in a landmark battle, it has been announced.

One practice has seen charges reduced by £400,000 – 80% of the original claim, the British Medical Association announced. The success could see other practices challenge bills levied by NHS Property Services Ltd. The BMA said the practices between them had regained some £750,000. The battle began three years ago when practices reported their charges were “soaring” in spite of there being no agreement to pay extra charges.

A spokesperson for one of the practices said: “It’s been such a relief to know that years of stress and frustration are now finally over. If we had paid what we were being asked to by NHSPS, then our practice would not have survived, which would have impacted thousands of patients.”

Dr Gaurav Gupta, from the BMA’s GP committee in England, said he was “delighted” at the success.

He said: “This is a ground-breaking lawsuit, and these settlements vindicate the practices’ assertion that, for years, NHSPS has been claiming unduly high levels of service charges without sufficient reason or justification. We’ve heard of practices facing serious financial burdens due to NHSPS charges and even worrying that they might not be able to keep their doors open, so this outcome should give hope of a fair resolution to the other NHSPS tenants struggling with rising service charges and resulting disputes. At a time of unprecedented pressure on the health service, the NHS simply cannot afford to lose any more GPs to what is clearly an avoidable situation. The BMA will continue to work with GPs, NHSPS, and other stakeholders to find a fair resolution for NHSPS tenants.”