UK-based staffing and employability organisation Staffline Group has tabled a bid on Friday to take over NHS Professionals, the government-owned agency that supplies doctors and nurses to hospitals across the UK, reports Sky News.

 Staffline is reported to be one of final two bidders for NHS Professionals, which is valued at approximately £50 million. The talks come amid a row ahead of next month’s General Election about NHS privatisation. The Labour Party has vowed to reverse privatisation but made no specific promises regarding NHS Professionals. 

It was originally reported that the Government were looking to sell NHS Professionals as long ago as 2014. The sale was reinvigorated in November 2016 through a tendering process that led to a number of bids from financial investors and healthcare groups.

NHS Professionals currently works with 55 NHS trusts, approximately a quarter of the total. As part of a private company, NHS Professionals would effectively be the largest healthcare staffing firm in Europe. In its latest accounts, the company achieved profits of £9 million on a turnover of £750 million.

A deal is expected in the next few weeks with Staffline executives expressing confidence in securing NHS Professionals. Staffline Group has recently been on an acquisition spree, acquiring Brightwork Limited last month and Oak Recruitment earlier this year. The company already operates in the public sector working with the Ministry of Justice on the provision of probation services, the Education and Skills Funding Agency, which it assists with apprenticeships and adult education, and is also a major partner of the Department for Work and Pensions.