Campaigners' Symbolic Tug-Of-War Protest Highlights Plight Of Brighton NHS Surgery

Councillors joined campaigners for an event to highlight what they say is the threat to an NHS doctors’ surgery from a private company.

Labour councillors David McGregor and Andrei Czolak turned out to support a tug of war held at the Old Steine on Saturday (14 June).

The event was organised by Sussex Defend the NHS, with the tug of war chosen to symbolise the plight of the Wellsbourne Healthcare surgery in Whitehawk.

The campaign group is raising awareness of a proposal to change who runs health services at the NHS surgery.

It is currently operated by Wellsbourne Healthcare Community Interest Company (CIC).

The CIC stepped in when a private company walked away in 2016 in a financial dispute with NHS commissioners – and the official watchdog has rated the current service as good.

But the commissioners recently published a notice of their intention to award the contract for running the surgery to another private company, One Medical Group, based in Leeds.

Taking part in the tug-of-war were GPs (general practitioners), health workers, patients and volunteers from Wellsbourne Healthcare.

Sussex Defend the NHS campaigner Janet Sang said:

“There was fantastic public support for Wellsbourne Healthcare CIC on Saturday at our tug of war.

“There were many more of us campaigning for people, not profit, and we won each time against the private, for profit One Medical Group and the commissioners.”

The Sussex Integrated Care Board (ICB), also known as NHS Sussex, said that the existing contract was coming to an end so it invited tenders as the law requires.

But the proposal to take the contract from the CIC after it rescued the practice has riled many – and the current surgery team have appealed against the decision.

The Labour MP for Brighton Kemptown and Peacehaven, Chris Ward, started a petition urging the NHS bosses to stick with the CIC and more than 3,100 people have signed it.

But the public position of NHS Sussex has not changed over the past month when the threat to the current team was made public.

The ICB said:

“National regulations mean we have had to follow an open procurement process, with the ability for all parties with interest in providing services to this community to submit an application.

“Each bid is fully considered and evaluated, based on the information that is shared during the procurement process.

“This process is still under way and, as a result, we are unable to comment further until the procurement has officially been completed.

“However, we have seen and are aware of the concern being raised to us and we will respond further as soon as we are able.”