14.09.11
Circle part of bid to take over Epsom hospital
Circle Health, which has a rapidly growing role in operating hospitals and NHS treatment centres, could now be set to take over a hospital in Epsom as part of a deal led by the Royal Surrey County Hospital NHS Trust.
The other bid is led by Ashford and St Peter's Foundation Trust.
Circle Health is already due to take over operations at Hinchingbrooke Hospital in Cambridgeshire in November. The company is partly owned by its staff, and labels itself a social enterprise and the largest partnership of healthcare professionals in Europe, but it remains a private company listed on the stock exchange. This has troubled critics, including shadow health spokesman John Healey MP who has said the Epsom situation is further evidence of the privatisation of the NHS.
The plan is to split the hospital trust into two, with St Helier incorporated into St George's, one of London's largest trusts, while Epsom will be left to new management.
Ali Parsa, Circle's founder, said he wanted to save the hospital, not shut it down. He told the Guardian: "We are very happy that progressive parts of the NHS are willing to work with us. We have shown that we can deliver productivity improvements to the NHS of 13% a year. This is when the NHS sees productivity has fallen by 4% a year."
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