COMMUNITY HOSPITALS GROUP BOUGHT BY CAPIO AB

Community Hospitals Group which owns 21 private acute hospitals in the UK, has been the subject of much interest. Firstly, BUPA Insurance (with 36 hospitals) tried to buy it but this was blocked by the Secretary of State for Trade & Industry after an inquiry by the Competition Commission to which the LCA submitted evidence. Then BMI Healthcare (42 hospitals) tried to buy it, but similar concerns about monopoly markets being created were raised by the Office of Fair Trading and another inquiry was launched by the Competition Commission. Whilst this is still ongoing, an outsider buyer has emerged and succeed in buying CHG. The winners are Capio AB, a leading Swedish healthcare provider, who already own the Florence Nightingale Hospitals in London. It is encouraging to see a new player in the independent hospital market. The increased dominance of the big 3 hospital providers would have added to pressures on consultants and the independent charity and religious hospitals of which another 4 have been lost over the last 18 months.

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