A TAKEOVER of London GP practices by US healthcare privateers is likely to be challenged in court, union Unite revealed today.

Campaigners, including members of medical union Doctors in Unite, have already crowdfunded more than £40,000 towards a judicial review aimed at reversing the recent takeover of 37 surgeries by Operose, the UK subsidiary of US health insurance giant Centene.

They are now waiting to hear if all the legal hurdles have been cleared and whether the case can proceed on the basis of the lack of transparency surrounding the takeover.

The practices, previously run by privately owned firm AT Medics, add to a portfolio of dozens around England already captured by Centene.

Former Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and Streatham MP Bell Ribeiro Addy will be among those taking part in a socially distanced demonstration against the takeover at the Department of Health and Social Care at 6pm on Monday July 5 — the NHS’s 73rd birthday.

Mr Corbyn has accused the US-based transnational of cynical profiteering, saying: “This US company does not care about the healthcare of local people: it cares about making profits for its shareholders.”

Doctors in Unite chairwoman Dr Jackie Applebee said: “Ministers and senior NHS executives have repeatedly mouthed the mantra that the NHS is not being privatised, but that is patently not true as the awarding of lucrative contracts to private healthcare firms continues apace.

“We are now hoping to test this policy with a judicial review as to why a huge swathe of English general practice, including the data of nearly half a million patients, was handed over to US health-insurance giant Centene after a breathtaking lack of transparency and openness.

“We have been told by the lawyers that we have a strong case.”

Keep Our NHS Public co-chair Dr John Puntis said: “Centene has its eye on becoming embedded in the new integrated care systems proposed in the pending Health and Care Bill.

“The move into GP practices is a foothold on the path to much bigger opportunities for siphoning public money away from patient care and into the pockets of shareholders.

“Health Secretary Sajid Javid should learn the right lessons from the Covid pandemic — privatisation of health care is costly and inefficient.

“One of his first actions should be to pull the proposed legislation from the parliamentary timetable.”