General   (General discussion, talk about anything.)

Whups

Privatisation means selling off a state asset to private enterprise.
Apart from a very small number of exceptions GPs are self employed either owning or renting surgeries. They are responsible for hiring and paying staff. They get an annual amount of money from the NHS depending mainly on the number of patients on their roll.
The NHS has a long term aim of bringing GPs on board as staff members but are constrained by the 1948 legislation.
In 1948 hospitals were nationalised which meant hospital doctors and consultants were salaried but the legislation gave them the right to undertake private work.
The example posted by TTS is a case of GPs cashing in by selling their surgeries to the highest bidder and walking away with a barrow load of cash. However, the Americans will have to stick to NHS rules to get their annual sum of money to run their surgeries.
By the way one Ashton GP owns 37 surgeries.