The leaders of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council have called for Hampshire and Isle of Wight Integrated Care Board to carry out an inquiry into the company running three of the borough’s GP surgeries following ‘alarming’ news that it is being sold.

Operose, which runs the Camrose, Gillies and Hackwood (CGH) Partnership, Shakespeare Road Medical Practice, and the Beggarwood Surgery in Basingstoke, is being sold by its US parent company.

And borough council Leader Cllr Paul Harvey and Co-Leader Cllr Gavin James have demanded the care board investigates why Operose was allowed to take on the contracts and buy assets.

The Integrated Care Board is a statutory NHS organisation responsible for the plan to meet the health needs of the population, manage the budget and arrange for provision of health services. This includes GP surgeries.

In a letter to the Chief Executive of the Integrated Care Board Maggie MacIsaac, they said that the news of the sale has caused “considerable alarm” to residents and asked the board to be more transparent when engaging with the residents affected.

They also pointed out that the absence of a statement from Operose or its parent company is a signal of a lack of care for the communities it serves.

Leader Cllr Paul Harvey said: “The surgeries have been operating for some time without named GPs for patients and there are concerns that the sale risks even fewer GPs and a further reduction in service. The Integrated Care Board and Operose need to reassure residents that such a serious scandal will not happen.”

Co-Leader Cllr Gavin James added: “We want to see all local primary care services and assets retained and expanded by local UK-based NHS providers that understand our communities’ needs.”

Despite statements earlier this month from both the Integrated Care Board and a GP partner at one of the affected surgeries, the future of the surgeries is unclear.