NHS Takes Over Nuffield Hospital in ‘Windfall’ for London Care

Published: 07 November 2025. The English Chronicle Desk. The English Chronicle Online.

An NHS trust is set to take control of a state-of-the-art hospital from a leading private healthcare group after the facility failed to attract sufficient paying patients. Barts Health Trust in London will convert Nuffield Health’s hospital into a dedicated NHS breast cancer diagnosis and treatment centre, with the handover scheduled for next month.

The development comes less than four years after Nuffield Health, a not-for-profit private health operator, took a 30-year lease on two long-neglected Barts Trust buildings. The company invested £65 million to refurbish the sites into a modern facility focused on heart disease and joint treatments, part of an effort to expand private healthcare in the capital and generate rental income for Barts Health. Despite the significant investment and strategic intentions, Nuffield has decided to close the hospital and sell the lease back to the NHS trust.

Senior figures at Barts Health have expressed delight at what they describe as “a windfall” opportunity. A trust source said: “We don’t want to gloat about this, because we’ve had a good partnership with Nuffield Health. But these two buildings have fallen into our lap. We leased them as two derelict buildings and are getting back two modern, fully equipped hospitals.”

The two facilities, which sit opposite each other beside St Bartholomew’s Hospital in the City of London—an institution often cited as England’s oldest hospital at more than 900 years—include 55 beds, three operating theatres, consulting rooms, and CT and MRI scanners. Experts suggest this could be the first instance in which the NHS has inherited fully operational private healthcare facilities in such a manner.

The closure raises broader questions about the sustainability of private healthcare expansion in the UK. Analysts had predicted a private sector boom amid long NHS waiting lists, but the experience at St Bartholomew’s suggests that even high-quality, state-of-the-art facilities may struggle to attract enough patients willing to pay for services.

The human impact is also significant. Around 180 nurses and other clinical staff at the Nuffield hospital face potential redundancy when the facility shuts its doors next Wednesday. Barts Health, however, has indicated that some of these staff may be offered employment at the new breast cancer centre, while others could be assisted in finding roles across the capital’s private healthcare sector.

Fiona Miller Smith, chief executive of the Barts Charity, highlighted the transformative potential of the hospital’s transition. The charity is donating £16.6 million—its largest ever gift—to help fund the conversion of the facilities into a dedicated breast cancer centre, due to open in January. Smith said: “This will be a transformative moment for the health of people in east London. It allows us to expand services and improve patient outcomes significantly.”

Nuffield Health has offered limited public explanation for the closure. A brief statement on its website simply notes that it is “selling back the lease of our hospital at St Bartholomew’s to Barts Health NHS Trust, with the handover planned for December 2025.” A source familiar with the matter said the decision reflected commercial realities, with patient uptake falling below expectations. “The closure shows that London has more private health capacity than people willing to pay for it,” the source added.

Alex Perry, Nuffield Health’s chief executive, described the move as a “positive conclusion to our partnership with Barts Trust.” Perry emphasized that the company intends to focus on expanding services across its remaining London hospitals while ensuring that patients affected by the St Bartholomew’s closure continue to receive care. “This decision reflects how our London hospital portfolio has evolved and allows us to focus investment on high-quality care in our other London hospitals,” Perry said.

The transition is also expected to expand access to breast cancer services at a time when early diagnosis and treatment remain a national priority. With rising cancer incidence rates in the UK and pressure on existing NHS facilities, the acquisition provides Barts Health with an opportunity to deliver more specialised care to a wider population. By converting the Nuffield hospital into a dedicated breast cancer centre, the trust hopes to reduce waiting times, improve patient experience, and strengthen London’s capacity for complex oncology treatments.

Barts Health officials have indicated that the hospital takeover will proceed quickly. Preparations include refurbishments to adapt the hospital for breast cancer care, recruitment of additional clinical staff, and the integration of existing NHS services with the newly acquired facilities. The Barts Charity’s significant financial support ensures that the project can proceed without delay, making it one of the most ambitious private-to-public healthcare transitions in recent UK history.

The deal also underscores broader debates surrounding public and private healthcare partnerships. Nuffield Health, which operates gyms and 36 hospitals across the UK, generates nearly £1.5 billion annually, over £1 billion of which comes from its hospital network. Despite this financial strength, the company’s withdrawal from its flagship London facility suggests that even well-funded private operators face challenges when predicting patient demand and navigating competitive healthcare markets.

The NHS takeover has sparked discussion about whether private healthcare in the UK is as robust as previously believed. Analysts note that while the sector has expanded, particularly in response to long NHS waiting lists, the St Bartholomew’s experience indicates that patient uptake is not guaranteed, even for state-of-the-art facilities in prime locations. Observers suggest that affordability, perceived value, and patient trust in public healthcare remain significant factors influencing decisions to seek private treatment.

For staff facing uncertainty, the transition brings both challenges and opportunities. While some may face redundancy, others could find new roles within the NHS, particularly at the planned breast cancer centre. Nuffield Health has indicated that it will attempt to redeploy employees to other facilities and assist in securing positions within the wider healthcare sector. Barts Health has confirmed it will consider some Nuffield staff for roles at the new centre, reflecting the trust’s commitment to continuity of care and workforce stability.

Healthcare professionals and policy analysts have described the acquisition as a rare “win-win” scenario for the NHS. The trust inherits modern facilities with minimal construction delays, while Nuffield Health can refocus resources on areas with higher demand. Fiona Miller Smith commented: “This is a remarkable opportunity for the NHS. By taking over these facilities, we can provide world-class care to more patients, faster. It’s a rare moment where public and private healthcare sectors align in a way that directly benefits patients.”

The broader public response has been largely positive, with advocates for NHS expansion noting the strategic advantages of inheriting ready-to-use facilities. “It’s not often that the NHS gets such a significant asset without building from scratch,” said one healthcare analyst. “The combination of modern infrastructure, charitable support, and experienced staff means this could become a benchmark for how public healthcare can efficiently integrate existing private resources.”

As the handover approaches, attention is now focused on ensuring a smooth transition, minimal disruption to patients, and the rapid establishment of the new breast cancer centre. With the centre scheduled to open in January, Barts Health aims to demonstrate the capacity of the NHS to innovate and expand services in response to both patient demand and emerging healthcare priorities.