Care firm set to grow after sale

A WARRINGTON-based company which supplies home care and support staff from 18 locations around the North and Midlands has been bought by the Accord Group in a deal that could create up to 2,000 jobs over the next three years.

Direct Health Group will continue to operate as an independent company following the deal, which the firm said could create hundreds of new positions.
Jonathan Vellacott, chief executive of Direct Health, said: “I believe that becoming part of the Accord Group will enable us to provide a broader range of services into the communities that we serve.

“We believe that this solid base will allow us, with Accord’s support, to accelerate Direct Health’s growth; focusing specifically on geographical expansion, a broadening of the care offering into higher acuity services and acquisition of further complex care capability.”

Accord is a one of the largest housing organisations in the Midlands, providing affordable housing and related support to 50,000 people and employing nearly 1,700.

Accord Group chief executive, Dr Chris Handy, added: “This is an exciting announcement for both businesses as well as for communities across the Midlands and North of England. Direct Health is one of the UK’s leading providers of care to people in their own homes and it is a business which has always enjoyed solid organic growth.

“We have seen it build an excellent reputation, both for the quality of its care and for its strength as a business, becoming fully-integrated into the communities in which it operates. Our customers tell us they have a strong preference for receiving care in their own homes and in acquiring one of the leading providers in the UK, we are responding to this demand in a direct, logical and positive manner.”

Direct Health Group was advised on the deal by law firm Gordons and by KPMG.