US firm takes control of three GP surgeries

The deal with United Health Europe opens the way to the privatisation of family doctors' practices. It comes after a government push to put primary care into corporate hands.

Doctors have warned that patients could suffer as conglomerates offer "cut-price deals" to win contracts. Health trusts are already under pressure to keep costs down after two years of tackling debt.

The contract for United Health Europe is its first with a London health trust. It gives the group, the largest healthcare corporation in the US, control of the Brunswick Medical Centre, King's Cross Road Practice and Camden Road Practice, Camden.

Doctors claim that it will mean the end of traditional practice and " personalised" care. But private firms argue they will open longer and offer more health checks than traditional surgeries.

Dr Richard Halvorsen, who lost out on the contract to United Health, said he was offering to spend £100 per patient while it was spending £75.

He said: "This is another example of a cut-price privatised service being imposed on patients against their will. I fear that patients will suffer as a result." He added that patients will be disrupted by an influx of new doctors and will have to become accustomed to new systems.

Under plans unveiled by health minister Lord Darzi, more private companies will be given contracts to run NHS surgeries. They are being invited to bid for 100 new GP practices and 150 health centres nationwide.

Lord Darzi is also meeting companies including Tesco and Boots to consider how they can extend access to family doctors.

The British Medical Association is campaigning against the move and issued a warning to patients that firms are out "to make a fast buck".

But the deal to bring United Health into the heart of London GP care will be more contentious as it involves an existing surgery. United Health already runs one GP practice in Normanton, Derbyshire. It argues that it has increased the practice's performance score from 81 per cent to 94 per cent and offered new tests.

Camden health trust chief executive Rob Larkman said the firm would provide "excellent services". "This has been a very rigorous process," he said.

A trust spokesman added: "All GP practices are private because all GPs are contracted. If they are spending more money on patients it costs more for the primary care trust."

But doctors who lost out on the contract are also accusing the trust of running an unfair selection process.

claim the value for money test was added at the last minute. A spokesman for the Camden GP committee said: "With United Health allocating substantially less money per patient there are fears that patients will suffer a reduction in the quality of care they receive." However Dr Pete Smith, director of primary care for United Health, said: "We are committed to providing the highest quality family doctor services. We already provide this elsewhere in the UK, where we have increased the range of services available to patients and extended opening hours from 8am to 8pm. These services have proved really popular."