GP partners approached by Operose with offers to take over their practices

Operose Health is inviting GP partners to have ‘confidential discussions’ around the future of their practices, including succession planning and transferring their GP contracts.

GPs have told Pulse that the private provider, which is now owned by HCRG Group, has been reaching out to partners via email asking them if they would ‘consider’ handing over the business side of their partnership.

The emails are part of the provider’s outreach to GP partners, which also includes several posts on social media and messaging on its website.

Operose said that if GP partners are ‘facing challenges linked to property ownership or leases’, the provider ‘can support discussions around premises solutions’.

‘This may include options to sell your property, step away from long-term liabilities, or unlock capital tied up in premises, as part of a planned and supported transition,’ the messaging on their website said.

The provider said that their approach ‘prioritises continuity of care’ and that when a GP contract transfers to them, ‘services continue to be delivered locally’.

It mentioned ‘immediate retirement’ as well as ‘phased transitions’, adding that their model allows GP partners to ‘plan next steps with confidence’.

In addition to emails to GP partners, Operose’s social media channels are also inviting partners to ‘have these conversations early’.

In a post on social media, Operose said: ‘Operose Health offers an established and proven alternative to the traditional GP partnership model. We support practices to remain locally focused, while accessing broader operational support.

‘If you’re starting to think about what the next phase looks like for your practice, it’s a conversation worth having early.’

In a statement, Operose chief medical office Professor Nick Harding, who is a GP, said: ‘General practice is changing and many GP Partners are questioning the long-term sustainability of the traditional model.

‘Rising pressures across recruitment, premises, regulation, and increasing business responsibilities mean the role now extends far beyond clinical leadership.

‘At Operose Health, we work with GP partners to secure the future of their practice; removing the burden of running a complex business alone, while protecting high-quality patient care.’

Operose runs 67 GP practices across the UK, and told Pulse that they are ‘regularly approached by GP partners who want to explore options for the future of their practices’, including succession planning.

Operose chief executive Samantha Kane said: ‘We are proud of the role we play in supporting NHS general practice at a time of significant pressure.

‘We do not see ourselves as the only solution and recognise there are a range of organisations and models supporting primary care. We work with GP partners considering their future, including succession planning, to help maintain stability and continuity of care for patients and communities.

‘We provide a solution for GP partners who are looking to step away from the financial, operational and regulatory responsibilities of partnership, while continuing to focus on delivering high-quality patient care.

‘Where practices choose to work with us, arrangements are voluntary and agreed based on their individual circumstances, with GPs remaining central to the care provided. In some cases, this has helped practices continue operating where they may not otherwise have been able to do so.’

Operose was previously a subsidiary of the US healthcare giant Centene, and attracted controversy in 2021 after it acquired 58 GP practices in a takeover from previous owners AT Medics.

A councillor in one area of London took his CCG to court over its approval of the takeover, but a High Court judge dismissed the case in 2022.

And more recently, one ICB decided to re-tender its APMS contracts with Operose for several GP practices due to concerns around overuse of non-GP staff, as well as a ‘serious breach’ when its owners enacted a ‘change of control’.