Virgin Baron to Open Health Centre in Oxford

Sir Richard Branson is planning to open a health centre in Oxford where GPs would work alongside private health practitioners. Virgin Healthcare would offer services like dentistry, pharmacies and complementary therapies in state-of-the-art buildings. It coincides with a Government strategy to get private firms running health centres whilst still being contracted to carry out NHS GP work. Critics have accused the proposal of providing an opportunity for Virgin to market its additional services to potentially vulnerable patients when they’re in need of medical care.by Nadya Thorman