• Supporting clients through COVID-19 and Brexit

  • Supporting clients through COVID-19 and Brexit

  • Brachers
  • Home
  • COVID-19
  • Insights
  • Our People
  • Careers
  • About Brachers
    • Our Story
    • Awards and Accreditations
    • Corporate Social Responsibility
  • Events
  • Pay online
  • Conveyancing quote
  • Contact us
    • Solicitors in Maidstone
    • Solicitors in Canterbury
  • Personal Law
    • Personal Law
    • Court of Protection
    • Dispute Resolution
    • Employment Law Advice
    • Family and Divorce
    • Medical Negligence
    • Personal Injury and Industrial Disease
    • Powers of Attorney
    • Property and Conveyancing
    • Tax Planning
    • Trusts
    • Wills and Probate
  • Business Law
    • Business Law
    • Commercial Law
    • Commercial Dispute Resolution
    • Commercial Property Law
    • Corporate, Banking and Finance
    • Debt Recovery
    • Defending Industrial Disease Claims
    • Employment Law & HR Support
    • Environmental Law
    • Insolvency
    • Licensing Law
    • Planning Law
    • Regulatory Law
  • Sector Support
    • Sector Support
    • Agriculture and Rural
    • Charities
    • Construction
    • Education
    • Healthcare
    • Life Sciences
    • Primary Care
    • Property Investors, Developers and Landlords
    • 01622 690691
    • Pay Online
    • Conveyancing Quote
    Brachers
  • Brachers
    • COVID-19
    • Insights
    • Our People
    • Careers
    • About Brachers
      • Our Story
      • Awards and Accreditations
      • Corporate Social Responsibility
    • Events
    • Contact Us
      • Maidstone office
      • Canterbury office
    •  
  • Personal Law
  • Business Law
  • Sector Support
  • Court of Protection
    • Court of Protection
    • Benefits Advice for Financial Attorneys and Deputies
    • Financial Deputy Applications Advice
    • Gifting Applications
    • Professional Financial Attorney and Deputy
    • Statutory Will Applications
    • Welfare Applications
  • Dispute Resolution
    • Dispute Resolution
    • Alternative Dispute Resolution ‘ADR’
    • Consumer Disputes
    • Landlord and Tenant Disputes
    • Professional Negligence Disputes
    • Property & Land Law Disputes
    • Wills, Trusts and Probate Disputes Solicitors
  • Employment Law Advice
    • Employment Law Advice
    • Director Disputes
    • Disciplinary, Capability, Sickness and Grievance Issues
    • Settlement Agreements
    • Tribunal Claims Advice and Representation
  • Family and Divorce
    • Family and Divorce
    • Arbitration
    • Children Law
    • Civil Partnership
    • Collaborative Law
    • Divorce
    • Financial Settlement on Divorce
    • Injunctions
    • Cohabitation
    • Mediation
    • Pre and Post Nuptial Agreement
  • Medical Negligence
    • Medical Negligence
    • Accident and Emergency Claims
    • Birth Injury Claims
    • Cancer Diagnosis Claims
    • Cardiac and Vascular Claims
    • Child Injury Claims
    • Cosmetic Surgery Claims
    • Fatal Injury Claims and Inquest Representation
    • Medical Negligence FAQs
    • Ophthalmic Claims
    • Orthopaedic and Spinal Injury Claims
  • Personal Injury and Industrial Disease
    • Personal Injury and Industrial Disease
    • Asbestos Disease
    • Fatal Accident Claims
    • Head Injury
    • Mesothelioma Claims
    • Other Industrial Disease Claims
    • Other Personal Injury Claims
    • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder/Psychiatric Injury Claims
  • Powers of Attorney
    • Powers of Attorney
    • Elderly and Vulnerable
  • Property and Conveyancing
    • Property and Conveyancing
    • Buying and Selling Residential Property
    • Declarations of Trust
    • Equity Release
    • Mortgages
    • Lease Extensions
    • Plot Sales
    • Residential Tenancies
    • Transfer of Equity
    • Joint Tenancy or Tenancy in Common
  • Tax Planning
  • Trusts
    • Trusts
    • Brachers Trust Corporation
    • Setting up a Trust
    • Trust Management Services
  • Wills and Probate
    • Wills and Probate
    • Probate and Estate Administration Solicitors
    • Wills
    • Wills, Trusts and Probate Disputes Solicitors
  • Coronavirus Support for Families and Individuals
  • Commercial Law
    • Commercial Law
    • Commercial Agreements
    • Commercial Projects
    • Information Technology
    • Intellectual Property (IP)
  • Commercial Dispute Resolution
    • Commercial Dispute Resolution
    • Alternative Dispute Resolution ‘ADR’ for Business
    • Business to Business Disputes
    • Contract Disputes
    • Corporate Disputes
    • Intellectual Property and Technology Disputes
    • Partnership Disputes
    • Property and Land Disputes
  • Commercial Property Law
    • Commercial Property Law
    • Finance Advice for Commercial Property
    • Occupiers and Tenants
    • Property Investors, Developers and Landlords
  • Corporate, Banking and Finance
    • Corporate, Banking and Finance
    • Shareholder Arrangements and Share Option Schemes Advice
    • Corporate Banking Law and Asset-Based Lending
    • Corporate Restructures and Demergers
    • Legal Advice for Joint Venture Companies
    • Mergers, Acquisitions and Disposals
    • Partnership and LLP
    • Private Equity and Venture Finance
  • Data Protection and GDPR
  • Debt Recovery
    • Debt Recovery
    • Credit Management
    • Portfolio Management and Outsourcing
    • Consumer Collections and Recoveries
  • Defending Industrial Disease Claims
    • Defending Industrial Disease Claims
    • Defending Asbestos Claims
    • Defending Hearing Loss / Deafness Claims
  • Employment Law & HR Support
    • Employment Law & HR Support
    • Brachers Protect
    • Employment Contracts
    • Discrimination, Discipline, Dismissals & Grievances
    • Employee Exits and Settlement Agreements
    • Employment Law Developments
    • Employment Law Training
    • Employment Tribunal Claims
    • Industrial Relations
    • Redundancy, Reorganisation & Restructuring
    • Restrictive Covenants
    • TUPE Law
    • Wellbeing at Work
    • Workplace Wellbeing Review
  • Environmental Law
  • Insolvency
    • Insolvency
    • Services to Businesses & Company Directors
    • Services to Creditors
    • Services to Insolvency Practitioners
  • Licensing Law
  • Planning Law
  • Regulatory Law
    • Regulatory Law
    • Criminal Prosecution Law
  • Coronavirus Support for Businesses
  • Agriculture and Rural
    • Agriculture and Rural
    • Commercial Law in Rural Business
    • Corporate Law in Rural Business
    • Employment Law in Rural Business
    • Family Law in Rural Business
    • Health and Safety Law in Rural Business
    • Planning & Environmental Law
    • Rural Property and Buildings Law
    • Secured Lending in Rural Business
    • Solving Disputes in Rural Business
    • Succession Planning for Farming Businesses
  • Charities
    • Charities
    • Charity Mergers and Collaboration
    • Funding Advice for Charities
    • HR Advice for Charities
    • Kent Good Governance Charity Forum
    • Organisational Review for Charities
    • Setting up a Charity or Social Enterprise Legal Advice
  • Construction
    • Construction
    • Construction Disputes
    • Construction Project Documentation
  • Education
    • Education
    • Academy conversions and free schools
    • Development and Expansion
    • Education Matters Forum
    • Freedom of Information and Data Protection
    • Governance, Complaints and Appeals Law in Education
    • Legal Advice when Purchasing Goods and Services for Schools
    • Legal Advice for School Premises
    • Legal Advice for Staff Management
  • Healthcare
    • Healthcare
    • NHS
    • Independent Healthcare Providers
    • Legal Support for Care Providers
    • Medical Defence
  • Life Sciences
  • Primary Care
    • Primary Care
    • Commercial and NHS Contracts
    • Employment & HR Law for GPs
    • GP Federations Advice
    • GP Partnership Agreements
    • GP Premises
    • New Premises, Development & Expansion
  • Property Investors, Developers and Landlords

Home > Insights > Legal Aspects of GP Practice Mergers

  • Insights
    Insight - Healthcare - POSTED: October 6 2016

    Legal Aspects of GP Practice Mergers

    For those readers that are considering a merger and are wondering what exactly is involved, an overview of the five key stages is set out below.

    • Share this article
      Share
    • Print this article
  • Once you have moved passed initial discussions with another practice, the first stage is to agree head of terms. Heads of terms are a non-legally binding summary of the terms of the proposed merger, such as what assets are going to be transferred by each party, how those assets will be valued and any conditions to the merger.

    The second stage is due diligence. This is a two-way process that enables the parties to understand their future partners’ viability and standing (as each practice will have its own clinical and trading history and its own contracts, employees, liabilities and issues). Due diligence is split into three parts: legal, financial and commercial. The process can be arduous and document heavy but by undertaking due diligence and identifying any risks associated with the merger, each practice will be able to make an informed decision about whether to proceed.

    The third stage is notifying NHS England of the proposed merger and obtaining its approval. It is highly advisable to involve NHS England in the process at an early stage. The type of notification, approval or variation required will depend on the type of clinical contract(s) held by the merging practices.

    The fourth stage is the agreement of the legal documents for the new, merged practice. This will include a new partnership agreement for the merged practice (or a deed of adherence and variation to an existing partnership agreement), leases of the practice premises and asset transfer agreements to transfer the non-property assets of the individual practices into the new, merged practice.

    The fifth and final stage is implementation of the new management structures and practices. This stage is the most important stage and yet it is the one that is most easily forgotten in the lull after completion. It is important that partners have a clear plan for any changes they wish to make post-merger as changes are most likely to be successfully implemented during the first 90 days. Completion of a merger is in many respects the beginning and not the end of the process!

    For further information please contact Matthew Simmonds, a partner at Brachers LLP, at matthewsimmonds@brachers.co.uk.

    Can we help?

    Take a look at our Healthcare page for useful information, resources, guidance, details of our team and how we may be able to help you

  • Key contact:

    • Brachers Corporate & Commercial Partner Matthew Simmonds

      Matthew Simmonds

      Partner,

    Get in touch

    Please fill out the below form or alternatively you can call us on 01622 690691

      By submitting an enquiry through 'get in touch' your data will only be used to contact you regarding your enquiry. Please view our website and cookie policy for more information
  • Related Articles & Events

    View all
  • Healthcare

    Confidentiality New GMC Guidance

    Insight

    Posted 13th July 2017

  • Healthcare

    Health and Care Professions Tribunals Service Launched

    Insight

    Posted 13th July 2017

  • Healthcare

    Consent Montgomery Applied 2017

    Insight

    Posted 13th July 2017

  • Healthcare

    Medical Duty of Care to a third party?

    Insight

    Posted 13th July 2017

  • Healthcare

    Safe Space Proposal Abandoned

    Insight

    Posted 13th July 2017

  • Healthcare

    Coroner’s Court 2014 – Chief Coroner’s Report

    Insight

    Posted 20th August 2014

  • Brachers with you all the way Logo
    • Statutory Information (including complaints policy)
    • Cookie Policy
    • Refund Policy
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Engagement
    • Website Accessibility
    • Contact Us
    • Sitemap
  • Contact Us

    T: 01622 690691
    F: 01622 681430
    E: hello@brachers.co.uk
    • LinkedIn Icon
    • Facebook Icon
    • Twitter Icon

    Sign up for our newsletter

    Unsubscribe from our newsletter

    SIGN UP
  • Head Office

    Somerfield House
    59 London Road
    Maidstone
    Kent
    ME16 8JH


    T: 01622 690691

  • Medway House

    81 London Road
    Maidstone
    Kent
    ME16 0DU

     

     


    T: 01622 690691

  • Canterbury Office

    First Floor
    Graylaw House
    20-22 Watling Street
    Canterbury
    Kent
    CT1 2UA


    T: 01227 949510