Affidea accelerates its UK growth through strategic partnership with LIPS Healthcare

LONDON, July 23, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Affidea, the pan-European provider of community-based clinics, advanced diagnostics, and specialist private healthcare services, today announces a strategic partnership with LIPS Healthcare (London International Patient Services), the UK’s largest private consultant-led multi-specialty group. LIPS Healthcare’s strong clinical reputation, premium London presence and entrepreneurial medical culture make it a natural partner for Affidea as the Group brings its pan-European expertise in out-of-hospital care to the UK market.

As part of this partnership, Affidea will co-invest alongside LIPS Healthcare in a state-of-the-art 40,000 sq ft multi-specialty clinic, located on Prince of Wales Drive, due to break ground later this year, as well as in the extension of the existing Battersea Power Station Clinic. This will enable the business to expand its footprint, strengthen its diagnostic and treatment capabilities, and continue building an ecosystem where leading consultants can collaborate, innovate and continue delivering high-quality care for patients. Affidea’s investment marks an important step in its UK growth strategy, strengthening its presence in one of Europe’s most dynamic private healthcare markets.

Together, Affidea and LIPS Healthcare will create a platform for future growth in Southwest London, combining LIPS’s established consultant-led model and strong clinical reputation with Affidea’s European expertise in building and scaling high-quality, patient-centred, community-based healthcare services. With a network of more than 420 centres in 14 countries, Affidea will bring international know-how, operational capabilities and growth expertise to support LIPS Healthcare’s expansion, while preserving the clinical culture and entrepreneurial spirit that have shaped its success.

Founded in 2016 by orthopaedic consultants Paul Culpan and Ibraheim El-Daly, LIPS Healthcare has grown into the UK’s largest private multi-specialty group, bringing together more than 170 teaching hospital consultants across over 25 specialities. Headquartered at Battersea Power Station, LIPS provides patients with access to a broad range of services, including GP care, diagnostics, radiology, cardiology, dermatology, gynaecology, fertility, plastic surgery, paediatrics, urgent care and other specialist services.

The announcement follows Affidea’s recent UK investments, including the opening of diagnostic clinics in Whitstable, Kent and St. Asaph, North Wales, alongside the development of its new outpatient & ambulatory surgical centre in Wimbledon, located within a major retail destination and due to open in autumn 2026. Together, with the strategic co-investment in LIPS Healthcare, these investments underline Affidea’s long-term commitment to the UK market and its ambition to expand access to high-quality, community-based private healthcare in locations that are convenient and accessible for patients.

Quotes

“The UK private healthcare market is evolving rapidly, with growing demand for high-quality outpatient care delivered in more convenient and accessible settings. Our partnership with LIPS Healthcare gives Affidea a strong platform to help support that evolution. LIPS has built an impressive consultant-led model in London, with a reputation for clinical excellence and patient experience. By combining this with Affidea’s expertise in out-of-hospital scalable care models, we can support the next stage of LIPS’s growth and expand access to high-quality, patient-centred care across London and, over time, the wider UK market.”
— Barry Downes, CEO Affidea UK & Ireland

“Ten years ago, we set out to build something different, a home for medicine’s best minds, where consultants could lead, innovate, and genuinely shape the care they deliver. What we have built since then has exceeded every expectation. This partnership with Affidea is not the end of that journey. It is the moment that allows us to shift into higher gear. Affidea didn’t just believe in LIPS. They understood us. That trust means everything to me, to Paul, and to every consultant who is part of this organisation.”
— Ibraheim El-Daly, Founder & Managing Director, LIPS Healthcare

“Over the past years, we have built a strong track record in expanding access to exceptional care, delivered in an out-of-hospital setting across multiple markets, always with a focus on quality, patient experience and clinical governance. LIPS Healthcare represents a highly credible consultant-led platform in the UK, with a model that aligns closely with our vision for the future of outpatient healthcare. This investment strengthens our European footprint and marks an important new chapter for Affidea in the UK, one of Europe’s most dynamic healthcare markets.”
— Dr Charles Niehaus, Executive Director, Affidea Group

“In ten years of building LIPS, the question I’ve always asked is are we doing right for our patients and our doctors? This partnership allows us to answer that question with even greater confidence. Affidea brings world-class infrastructure, deep expertise, and a genuine belief in what we are building. Together, we have the platform to take LIPS further and faster than we could have gone alone — and to do it without compromising a single one of the values that got us here.”
— Paul Culpan, Founder & CEO, LIPS Healthcare

About LIPS Healthcare

Founded in 2016, LIPS Healthcare is the UK’s largest private multi-specialty group. Now headquartered at Battersea Power Station, London, LIPS has over 170 teaching hospital consultants across 25+ specialties, treating more than 70,000 patients annually, offering same-day appointments with no referral required. LIPS Healthcare partners with all leading insurers and embassies, offering care across GP, Dental, Physiotherapy, Aesthetics, Radiology, Cardiology, Dermatology, Gynaecology, Fertility, Plastic Surgery, Sexual Health, Urgent Care, Paediatrics and more. LIPS Healthcare is rated 4.8 out of 5 across patient review platforms with over 5000 reviews.

www.lips.org.uk

About Affidea

Affidea is Europe’s largest network of community-based polyclinics, advanced diagnostics and Centres of Excellence specialised in oncology, orthopaedics and neurology. Founded in 1991, the company operates approximately 420 centres across 14 countries and supports more than 15 million patients every year with accessible, high-quality healthcare delivered close to where they live and work.

In the UK, Affidea is present through its Fortius Clinic Centres of Excellence, now expanding its outpatient healthcare presence through the development of the new Affidea Wimbledon outpatient clinic, located in a major retail destination and expected to open in autumn 2026, and through its strategic minority investment in LIPS Healthcare. Together, these initiatives reflect Affidea’s long-term commitment to the UK market and its ambition to bring its European expertise in community-based care, to patients across London and, over time, the wider UK. Affidea is majority-owned by Groupe Bruxelles Lambert (GBL), a leading investment holding company, focused on long-term value-creation with a stable and supportive family shareholder base.

www.affidea.com 

Media Enquiries

Mine Sino | Commercial and Partnerships | mine.sino@lips.org.uk

Oana Dumitroiu | SVP Marketing & Communication, Affidea Group | oana.dumitroiu@affidea.com

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:

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