Protesters stood outside the Queen's Medical Centre on Thursday morning in response to Circle healthcare's decision to take legal action against commissioners.
The company, which has run Nottingham Treatment Centre for more than a decade, is taking Rushcliffe Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) to court after it failed in a Healthcare firm taking commissioners to court over Nottingham Treatment Centre contract
Circle said it has run Nottingham Treatment Centre, in the grounds of Queen's Medical Centre, for the last 11 years and is "deeply concerned" that its contract will not be renewed at the end of July.
Instead, the facility is set to be operated by Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust (NUH).
Protesters decided to stand on Abbey Street, behind the unit, to raise awareness of the situation.
Mike Scott of Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Keep Our NHS Public said: “Circle say they’re worried about patient safety, but they’re really only interested in money.
"This legal action is about protecting the exorbitant profit they’ve been making for the past 11 years and their income from the entirely private facility they run from the same building.
"They don’t even match NHS terms and conditions for staff, but their Directors and shareholders are very happy with what they get.”
Unison regional officer Dave Ratchford added: “This isn’t rocket science. Circle and all of the other would-be private providers are out to make a profit – that is their incentive as a private business.
“But public services that are provided on an ongoing basis can’t be provided more effectively by a private operator. It is far more effectively to run them in-house allowing proper planning and investment on a long-term basis.
"Then any surplus that a public service makes should get ploughed back into the public purse, not into the pockets of shareholders.”
Jon Dale, the branch chairman of Unite's NHS branch in Nottingham was also at the protest.
Healthcare firm taking commissioners to court over Nottingham Treatment Centre contract
He added: "Any profiteers should be kicked out off the NHS the service should be provided by the NHS. We will build a campaign to make sure this happens."
Circle is challenging the CCG on several bases. These include the "financial standing" of NUH and the "sustainability" of the trust’s bid.
Concerns have also been raised about the NUH's record after it was recognised as running one of the worst performing A&E departments in the country.
Massoud Fouladi, Circle Health’s medical director and a consultant ophthalmologist, said: “Independent providers, including GP practices, have been a part of the NHS since its inception.
"Over two-thirds of the public do not mind whether their NHS care is provided by a public or private organisation as long as it is of high quality and free at the point of use.
“We are incredibly proud of the services we have provided at the Treatment Centre for the past 11 years and we are widely recognised as having a talented, dedicated and caring team who deliver the highest-quality treatment to Nottingham patients and will continue to do so while we await the outcome of our challenge.
"They consistently recommend this centre both as a place for receiving care – and as a workplace.
“We strongly believe in the merits of our challenge to the commissioners’ decision. We believe that this flawed procurement puts the continuity of quality services at the Treatment Centre at risk.
"We do not want to see the centre’s record of success jeopardised by short-term closures or by bids that are unsustainable over the long term.”
