OPEROSE has questioned the figures provided by Panorama regarding its GP numbers at a Basingstoke surgery.

According to Panorama's investigation into American health firm Operose, the number of full time equivalent (FTE) doctors at the Camrose, Gillies and Hackwood (CGH) Partnership has gone from 25 to 11 since Operose took over in 2020 - a reduction of more than 50 per cent.

Read more: Basingstoke surgery on Panorama has reduced GPs from 25 to 11 since takeover 

However, Operose said it does not understand how the BBC has calculated the figures used in the programme and is disputing the numbers.

It says that it currently employs 12.4 FTE GPs at CGH and this is due to rise to 12.6 shortly, with another GP joining the team and further recruitment is ongoing.

Operose claims that when it took over the running of CGH in Brighton Hill there were 17.6 FTE doctors at the surgery, not the 25 reported by Panorama which it obtained from NHS data.

A spokesperson for Operose said: "We don't understand how the BBC has calculated the figures used in the programme and they are not volunteering the information."

They added: "What we are confident on is we are the largest employer of salaried GPs in England and we continue to invest heavily to recruit and retain them during a national crisis in GP numbers."

Dr Charlotte Hutchings, clinical director for North and Mid Hampshire at the Hampshire, Southampton and Isle of Wight Clinical Commissioning Group, said: “Staff at all practices are seeing increasing demand and so despite the fantastic efforts of those teams, we know that some patients are not getting the care they would like.

“The focus of the NHS has to be on ensuring patients get the best possible care, and as such we are continually assessing the quality of care received. Any feedback from patients and staff, or following inspections by regulators – is always carefully assessed, and if there are any issues or themes of concern, we raise them with providers and challenge them to deliver improvements for their patients.”

 

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