Northwest Healthcare Properties REIT has announced it has signed a new 25-year lease with private hospital chain, Practice Plus Group, for a new private hospital in Edgbaston, Birmingham.

From 9 May, what was the Circle Hospital, Edgbaston, known locally as The BMI Hospital, will be under the operation of Practice Plus Group.

To be known as Practice Plus Group Hospital, Birmingham, the building is configured over four floors and comprises 55 bedrooms, three operating theatres, an endoscopy suite, outpatient facilities including 10 consulting rooms, an imaging department, physio area, and staff and patient parking.

The site will undergo an extensive programme of renovation and reconfiguration and is set to re-open in the summer of 2024.

NHS patients will be able to ask their GPs for referrals to Practice Plus Group, and from the summer private patients will be able to call the private patient contact centre to book a consultation directly through Wellsoon, Practice Plus Group’s private surgery brand.

The core services provided will be orthopaedic surgery, ophthalmology, diagnostics, and endoscopy.

Nicholas West, head of UK at Northwest Healthcare Properties REIT, said: “We are delighted to welcome Practice Plus Group to our portfolio and excited to see the property repositioned under its company banner.

“The new lease is provided on ‘green lease’ terms and we believe the new hospital will be a welcome addition to the Birmingham healthcare landscape providing affordable private healthcare and helping to reduce elevated NHS waiting lists in the local area.”

Practice Plus Group runs 10 hospitals and surgical centres around the country, all of which are rated ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Good’ by the Care Quality Commission (CQC).

With hospitals mostly concentrated in the south of England, this is the company’s first move into the West Midlands.

Jim Easton, chief executive of Practice Plus Group, said: “People that live in the Greater Birmingham area continue to suffer from long waiting lists for elective treatments in the wake of the COVID pandemic.

“We have a fantastic reputation for the quality of our surgery and are looking forward to partnering with the local NHS trusts to unlock access to affordable healthcare for those people who want fast access to high clinical quality.”