For immediate release – 22^nd April 2021

Today, Bell joined local campaigners from Keep Our NHS Public and We Own It to oppose a US healthcare giant’s takeover of local surgeries.

The demonstration was part of a national day of action co-ordinated by campaign groups and trade unions including Keep Our NHS Public, We Own It and Unite Doctors, including a protest outside the company’s UK headquarters on New Cavendish Street led by former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn MP.

Operose Health, a subsidiary of US company Centene acquired London’s largest healthcare provider AT Medics in October last year, taking over 49 GP surgeries and over 370,000 patients in the Greater London area.

20 of these are in the South London area and include Edith Cavell Surgery, Streatham High Practice and Streatham Place Surgery in Streatham

 Bell Ribeiro-Addy, Member of Parliament for Streatham said: 

“From PPE shortages to the failure of our privatised Test and Trace system, we’ve seen what happens when essential public services are sold off to companies for private gain, often to people with close ties to Government.

“Our surgeries are never going to be safe in the hands of US healthcare giants like Centene, whose need to make profit for shareholders will always trump the quality of patient care.

“The sell-off of local surgeries is part of a bigger programme of stealth privatisation which the Government has been pushing through during the pandemic.”

Ends  
 

Notes: 

1. ‘Subsidiary of US healthcare firm will run more than 50 GP practices after takeover deal’, British Medical Journal, 22 February 2021
2. Event information, https://keepournhspublic.com/event/stop-corporate-take-over-gp-surgeries/
3. Surgeries affected in South London:
   • Cassidy Medical Centre – 651a Fulham Road, SW6 5PX (Chelsea and Fulham)    
   • Earls Court Health and Wellbeing Centre – 2b Hogarth Road, London, SW5 0PT (Kensington)   
   • Edith Cavell Surgery – 41 A-C Streatham Hill, London, SW2 4TP (Streatham)   
   • Falmouth Road Group Practice – 78 Falmouth Road, Borough, SE1 4JW (Bermondsey and Old Southwark)
   • Fieldway Medical Centre – 15a Danebury, CR0 9EU (Croydon Central)  
   • GP Hub Central Croydon – East Croydon Medical Centre, 59 Addiscombe Road, CR0 6SD (Croydon Central)   
   • GP Hub Parkway – Parkway Health Centre, Parkway, New Addington, CR0 0JA (Croydon Central)   
   • GP Hub Purley – Purley War Memorial Hospital, 856 Brighton Road, CR8 2YL (Croydon South)
   • Headley Drive Surgery – 117a Headley Drive, CR0 0QL
   • Kings Road Medical Centre – 529 Kings Road, SW10 0UD (Chelsea and Fulham) 
   • Parkway Health Centre – Parkway, CR0 0JA (Croydon Central)
   • Queens Road Surgery – 136 Meeting House Lane, SE15 2UA (Camberwell and Peckham)
   • Silverlock Medical Centre – 2 Verney Way, London, SE16 3HA (Camberwell and Peckham)
   • Streatham High Practice – 1st Floor, 2-8 Gracefield Gardens, SW16 2ST (Streatham)    
   • Streatham Place Surgery – 26-28 Streatham Place, London, SW2 4QY (Streatham)   
   • Thamesmead Health Centre – 4-5 Thames Reach, Thamesmead, London (Erith and Thamesmead)    
   • The Lister Practice – 101 Peckham Road, SE15 5LJ (Camberwell and Peckham)   
   • The Practice Furzedown – 88e Eardley Rd, London SW16 6BL (Tooting)
   • Thornton Road Surgery – 299 Thornton Road, CR0 3EW (Croydon North) 
   • Valley Park Surgery – Healthy Living Centre, Franklin Way, CR0 4YD (Croydon North) 
4. A full list of affected surgeries in Greater London: https://weownit.org.uk/blog/here-are-gp-practices-taken-over-us-health-insurance-giant-centene 
5. Pictures of Bell with protesters outside Streatham GP Surgeries.

For further information about this press release, please contact Ollie Collard, Communications Officer, Office of Bell Ribeiro-Addy MP at oliver.collard@parliament.uk.