Merger Update: Circle Health/BMI Healthcare

"CMA to look at Circle Health Holdings Limited's undertakings offer in detail"

Completed acquisition by Circle Health Holdings Limited of GHG Healthcare Holdings Limited, a parent of BMI Healthcare Limited

On 8 April 2020, the CMA announced that it is or may be the case that the above Merger has resulted or may be expected to result in a substantial lessening of competition within a market or markets in the United Kingdom.

On 17 April 2020, Circle Health Holdings Limited (Circle) offered undertakings to the CMA. The CMA has considered the undertakings offered and today announced that it considers that there are reasonable grounds for believing that the undertakings offered, or a modified version of them, might be accepted by the CMA to remedy the substantial lessening of competition identified by the CMA.

The CMA now has until 23 June 2020 to decide whether to accept the undertakings, with the possibility to extend this timeframe to 18 August 2020 if it considers there are special reasons for doing so.

The text of this decision will be placed on the Competition and Market Authority's web site at https://www.gov.uk/cma-cases as soon as is reasonably practical.

In the event of media enquiries please email Press@cma.gov.uk or Matthew.Jordan@cma.gov.uk or call Matthew Jordan on 020 3738 6283.

For Publicity:

The full title of the Merger Case: Circle Health/BMI Healthcare merger inquiry: completed acquisition by Circle Health Holdings Limited (and indirectly by Centene Corporation via a minority interest in Circle Health Holdings Limited) of GHG Healthcare Holdings Limited (a parent company of BMI Healthcare Limited).  

The affected market: Private Hospital Medical Services (PHMS)

The merger reference code: ME/6864-19