A public inquiry into the closure of a GP surgery in north London that was run by a private company says there is “a serious loophole” in the national contract for alternative providers. It raises concerns about two other practices in the area.

Camden Road Surgery closed on 13 April, four years after it was taken over by US health giant UnitedHealth, leaving more than 4500 patients without a doctor.1

The inquiry panel of three councillors—chaired by Labour councillor Angela Mason—said there was an “urgent need” to find a replacement for the closed surgery, adding: “We remain concerned about the remaining two contracts held by The Practice at the Brunswick Centre and King’s Cross, as contracts will end in 2013.”

The …