A very small incomplete list of businesses

Wessex Water

Company type	Private company
Industry	Water industry
Founded	1973
Headquarters	Bath, Somerset
Key people	Francis Yeoh (chair­person)  Colin Skellett (CEO)
Products	Drinking water Recycled wastewater
Production output	0.270 Gl/day (drinking) 0.460 Gl/day (recycled)
Services	Water supply and sewerage services
Revenue	£ 552.3 million (2020) £547.7 million (2019)
Operating income	£ 212.5 million (2020) £228.4 million (2019)
Net income	£ 66.6 million (2020) £110.2 million (2019)
Number of employees	2,547
Parent	YTL Corporation, of Malaysia
Website	www.wessexwater.co.uk

Wessex Water Services Limited, known as Wessex Water, is a water supply and sewerage utility company serving an area of South West England, covering 10,000 square kilometres including Bristol, most of Dorset, Somerset and Wiltshire and parts of Gloucestershire and Hampshire.^[1] Wessex Water supplies 1.3 million people with around 285 million litres of water a day.

It is regulated under the Water Industry Act 1991. In 2016, the company had about 2,100 employees.^[2]

Wessex Water is owned by the Malaysian power company YTL Corporation.^[3] Its headquarters are on the outskirts of Bath in Claverton Down, in a modern energy-efficient building by Bennetts Associates and Buro Happold.^[4]

History

The company originated as the Wessex Water Authority, one of ten regional water authorities established by the Water Act 1973 which were privatised in 1989. Wessex Water Services Limited was purchased by American company Enron in 1998 for $2.4 billion and placed in a newly formed subsidiary, Azurix. Following Enron's collapse, Wessex Water was sold to YTL Power International of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in 2002.

The water authority had acquired the assets and duties of a number of public sector and local authority water utilities:

• Bristol Avon River Authority
• Somerset River Authority
• Avon and Dorset River Authority (except the part of the area of that drains to the River Lim)
• Bath Corporation
• Dorset Water Board
• North Wilts Water Board
• South Wilts Water Board
• Wessex Water Board
• West Somerset Water Board
• West Wilts Water Board
• Bournemouth and District Water Company
• Bristol Waterworks Company
• Cholderton and District Water Company
• West Hampshire Water Company
• West Lulworth Water Undertaking

Four people, three of them Wessex Water employees, were killed in an explosion at a company site in Avonmouth on 3 December 2020.^[5]

Customer service

Wessex Water achieved a score of 4.53 in Ofwat’s ‘Satisfaction by company’ survey 2012/13 (5 being ‘very satisfied’).^[6]

Drinking water quality

In 2013 Wessex Water's compliance with drinking water standards exceeded 99.9% and the company maintained 100% compliance with sewage treatment discharge consents.^[7]

Leakage

In both 2011/12 and 2012/13 the company's leakage figure was 69 million litres per day, compared to a yearly average of 73 million litres per day between 2005–10.^[7]

Carbon footprint

Wessex Water's greenhouse gas emissions totalled 119 kilotonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2018/19,^[8] compared to 149 kilotonnes of CO₂ equivalent in 2011/12 and 159 kilotonnes in 2012/13.

Reservoirs and lakes

The company owns and manages several reservoirs including Blashford Lakes in Hampshire, Clatworthy Reservoir, Durleigh Reservoir, Hawkridge Reservoir, Otterhead Lakes, Sutton Bingham Reservoir and Tucking Mill in Somerset, many of which, in addition to supplying drinking water, are used for recreation and as nature reserves.^[9]

GENeco

Wessex Water's GENeco subsidiary, established in 2009,^[10] operates sewage treatment works. It recycles waste, produces renewable energy and provides the agricultural industry with fertiliser.^[11] In summer 2010, GENeco launched the Bio-Bug, a modified VW Beetle that runs on bio-gas generated from waste treated at sewage treatment works.^[12] Waste flushed down the toilets of just 70 homes in Bristol is enough to power the Bio-Bug for a year, based on an annual mileage of 10,000 miles.^[13]

In November 2014, the UK's first bus powered entirely by human and food waste went into service between Bristol and Bath, run by tour operator Bath Bus Company.^[14] Since 2019, biomethane powers buses on one of Bristol's MetroBus routes.^[15] The gas is produced at the company's "bioresources and renewable energy park" in Avonmouth, which is run by GENeco.^[16]

Environmental record

• May 1998 – Found guilty of discharging over 1 million gallons of raw sewage into a Weymouth, Dorset, marina on August Bank Holiday Monday 1997, the busiest day of the year. The company was fined £5,000 with £500 costs.^[17][18]
• March 1999 – Ranked 4th in the top ten list of "worst polluters" in England by the Environment Agency.^[19][20]
• May 2002 – Fined £8,000 for causing pollution in Dowlais Brook, Cwmbran in June 2001.^[21]
• April 2003 – Fined £5,000 with £1,000 costs at Minehead Magistrates' Court after pleading guilty to causing poisonous, noxious or polluting matter to enter the Washford River in Somerset.^[22]
• July 2003 – Described by the Environment Agency as one of the worst "repeat offenders" for pollution incidents.^[23]
• 2004 – Fined six times for environmental pollution incidents.^[24]
• May 2007 – Fined £1,500 with £1,589 costs by Bristol magistrates after pleading guilty to one offence under the Water Resources Act 1991 of causing sewage to enter controlled waters. Untreated sewage had been allowed to pollute the River Frome in July 2006. The river was polluted again with untreated sewage at Frampton Cotterell in February 2007 and April 2007.^[25][26]
• April 2008 – Fined £3,000 with £1,960 costs for allowing sewage to pollute the River Stour.^[27]
• March 2010 – Fined £6,000 with £2,235 costs at Weymouth Magistrates' Court after allowing sewage to pollute the River Stour near Shaftesbury in March 2009.^[27]

References

External links

• Official website

BMI Healthcare

Company type	Private
Industry	Healthcare
Founded	1970
Defunct	2022
Successor	Circle Health Group
Headquarters	London, United Kingdom
Area served	UK and International
Key people	Karen Prins (Group Chief Executive)[1]
Revenue	£834.0 million (2012)[2]
Net income	£106.1 million (2012)[2]
Owner	Centene
Number of employees	9,500
Website	www.circlehealthgroup.co.uk
Footnotes / references [3]

BMI Healthcare was an independent provider of private healthcare, offering treatment to private patients, medically insured patients, and NHS patients. As of 2019, it had 54 private hospitals and healthcare facilities across the UK, with headquarters in London.^[4] In December 2019, it was acquired by a parent company of Circle Health^[5] and was replaced by Circle Health Group in 2022.^[6]

History

BMI Healthcare was formed in 1970, when US hospital group AMI acquired its first hospital in the UK, the Harley Street Clinic. By 1983, the AMI group had grown to 13 hospitals and by 1988 had created a psychiatric division, health services division and floated on the London Stock Exchange.

In 1990, AMI was purchased by then Generale des Eaux. AMI was renamed BMI Healthcare in 1993 and its new corporate group named General Healthcare Group. In 1997 funds managed by Cinven acquired GHG. After a further period of expansion GHG merged with Amicus Healthcare group in 1998 and the group grew its portfolio to over 40 hospitals.

In 2000, Cinven sold its investment to funds advised by BC Partners and in 2005 BMI Healthcare's health services, Occupational Health division was sold to the Capita Group. GHG was bought from BC Partners by a consortium led by Netcare (Network Healthcare Holdings Limited), a large South African Healthcare company, in 2006. In April 2018, Netcare announced it was to sell its 57% stake because it had failed to conclude a rent reduction transaction with the largest landlord on 35 of its 59 hospital properties.^[7] In October 2018, it was announced that it had agreed a deal with its creditors and landlords, including Hospital Topco, which involved injecting capital of at least £58 million, extending the company's bank facilities to 2024 and reducing annual rent by £65M. This would bring its operations and 35 hospitals back under common ownership.^[8]

In 2011, Stephen Collier was appointed chief executive. BMI showed a strong performance in its 2013 financial year, with revenue up by 2.1% (to £851.3M).^[9][10] In October 2017, Karen Prins was appointed Chief Executive Officer.^[11] Prins was an appointment from parent company Netcare based in South Africa.

In November 2019, it was reported that Circle Health, a smaller competitor, planned to acquire the company.^[12]

Operations and services

As a private healthcare provider, the bulk of BMI Healthcare's revenue was generated through the treatment of insured and self-pay patients, with many being surgical in nature. As with other private healthcare providers in 2012/13, recessionary pressures led to declining numbers of private patients, and an increased push towards securing NHS funded business.^[13][14]

It also offered health services to corporate clients, providing health assessments, on-site education days, physiotherapy, GP services, occupational health services and flu clinics to company employees.^[15]

In April 2019, the firm closed the Somerfield Hospital in Maidstone.^[16] Fernbrae Hospital in Dundee is to close in May 2019.^[17]

NHS contracts

In May 2014, Brent clinical commissioning group (CCG)) awarded a £5.8 million ophthalmology contract to BMI Healthcare after a two-year hold up caused by complaints about the CCG's procurement procedure.^[18]

The Woodlands Hospital in Darlington was used by South Tees Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust to help with elective surgery capacity problems, usually in the winter. This often involves the same surgeon working on a Sunday. 70% of the hospital's work is NHS funded.^[19]

In 2017 around £370M of the firm's income, 42%, came from NHS-funded work.^[7]

International work

BMI Healthcare saw increased numbers of international patients in recent years, with most international patients receiving treatment at London-based hospitals. The majority of patients BMI Healthcare treats were government sponsored from the Gulf regions of the Middle East. Insured patients living or travelling in the UK and self-paying patients from abroad made up the remainder of the international market BMI Healthcare treats.^[20][21]

University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust had a contract for cardiac surgery performed by the trust's own surgeons at the London Independent Hospital. This was mainly valve replacements and coronary artery bypass grafts. Patients usually spent 5–8 days in hospital and are admitted the night before to take account of travelling.^[22]

Corporate affairs and culture

Philanthropy

In 2013, BMI Healthcare launched the Big Health Pledge to raise awareness of the UK's five biggest preventable killers: lung disease, heart disease, cancer, liver disease and stroke. It sought to promote healthier living through a range of initiatives in order to lessen the impact these diseases have on the British population.^[23]

From 9 to 27 September 2013, BMI Healthcare supported participants taking part in Ask Italian's Grand tour, raising money for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children's Charity. BMI Healthcare provided nurses and physiotherapists to ensure those taking part remained injury free for the length of the tour.^[24]

Awards

At the 2013 Independent Healthcare Awards run by Laing & Buisson, consultants from BMI Healthcare were shortlisted in the Innovation, Outstanding Contribution, Risk Management and Nursing Practice categories.^[25]

Annie Ollivierre-Smith, catheter laboratory manager and lead cardiac nurse at BMI The London Independent Hospital, won nurse of the year 2013, at the Nursing Times awards. She was the first nurse ever from the private sector to win the award.^[26]

In 2011, BMI Healthcare became the first private healthcare provider in the UK to be awarded VTE (Venous Thromboembolism) exemplar status across all of its sites, recognising its efforts to reduce the health risks associated with Deep Vein Thrombosis and Pulmonary embolism. BMI Healthcare benefited greatly from the expertise of King's Thrombosis Centre, leading to the creation of a National Thrombosis Team tasked with the implementation of VTE prevention policies across BMI Healthcare Hospitals.^[27]

See also

• Private medicine in the UK

References