A London ICB has decided to launch a retender process for a number of NHS GP contracts – formerly run by a subsidiary of Operose Health – which had been subject to a ‘serious breach’.
North Central London ICB has now decided that the APMS contracts for the five GP practices in London operated by AT Medics will be reprocured over the next 18 months.
Earlier this year, three London ICBs announced that the successor to Operose Health had actioned an unauthorised ‘change of control’ in the takeover process of the GP practices, which amounted to a ‘serious breach’ of contract.
HCRG Care Group – formerly known as Virgin Care – agreed to buy Operose Health last year, which ran nearly 60 GP practices across the UK via ownership of AT Medics.
The companies requested ‘authorisation’ for a change of control at the end of November, at which point a ‘due diligence exercise’ began to assess the new owner. However, before this authorisation was granted, the companies went ahead with the ‘change of control’ on 28 December and failed to inform NHS commissioners.
But last month, another of the affected commissioners – North West London ICB – said AT Medics will be allowed to continue to run nine practices in its area despite the breach, deciding that terminating them would not be ‘proportionate’.
North Central London ICB will allow an 18-month extension period, which it said was agreed ‘to ensure patient services continue uninterrupted whilst new arrangements are secured’.
North Central London ICB executive director of place Sarah McDonnell-Davies said: ‘Quality, outcomes, experience of and confidence in local services are critical. The committee considered a number of options but felt on balance, a change of management should be sought.
‘Our absolute priority is the provision of high quality, safe and accessible services for local people.
‘We work closely with our practice and provider teams and actively monitor our services. We strive to ensure our decisions are balanced and consider feedback from patients, members of the public and stakeholders.’
A spokesperson for Operose Health told Pulse: ‘We are committed to working transparently and collaboratively with all of our commissioners to improve access to high quality primary care for patients at our practices across the country and will work with NCL ICB over the coming months to provide continuity and to ensure the health and wellbeing of patients and hard-working surgery staff while the ICB’s work is underway.
‘Under our new ownership we are entirely UK based and managed and investing in improved services and workforce, making it even easier for our patients to get the help they need, when they need it; we now employ 40% more GPs in our practices, and continue to offer over 20% more same day appointments than the national average.’
The practices affected in North Central London are:
- Brunswick Medical Centre;
- Camden Health Improvement Practice;
- Kings Cross Surgery;
- Somers Town Medical Centre;
- Mitchison Road Surgery;
- The extended access hub service in Camden will remain under the operation of AT Medics for the remainder of the existing contract, expiring in September 2025.
It comes after another practice in North Central London, St Ann’s Road Surgery, had its contract terminated in June, following lobbying by patients, but the provider will run the surgery for another year, while the ICB sets about reprocurement.
