- US private equity firm TPG has bought Optum UK, which manages the electronic patient record system for most GP practices in England, in a $400m deal raising concerns over NHS data privacy.
- Doctors, campaigners, and MPs criticize the lack of public scrutiny, with the Doctors’ Association UK warning that private equity's profit-driven model now controls over half of England's GP records.
- Concerns extend to TPG’s track record, as hospitals linked to the firm in Kenya were accused of pushing patients into debt, though TPG denies these allegations.
- Former Oxfam health policy lead Anna Marriott calls the deal alarming, emphasizing that patients have no say over data ownership and that private equity penetration outruns regulatory safeguards.
- The government approved the acquisition under the National Security and Investment Act 2021, but critics demand safeguards, parliamentary oversight, and support for UK tech instead.