NHS anti-privatisation campaigners vowed to fight on today after a court overruled their objections to the takeover of GP practices in London by US profiteers.

Campaigners argued at the High Court on Wednesday that there had been a lack of consultation with patients following the takeover early last year by Centene’s UK subsidiary Operose Health of the privately owned AT Medics, which was set up in 2004 by six NHS GPs and which runs 37 GP practices across London.

Anjna Khurana, a Labour member of Islington Council in north London and a patient at one of the affected GP practices, brought the High Court claim and was supported by campaign group Keep Our NHS Public.