Assura earns £13m from LIFT stakes

HEALTHCARE developer Assura said it has completed the sale of four of its seven interests in NHS LIFT companies.

The Warrington-based group, which builds and rents GP surgeries, first announced the plan to sell the investments in November, with the intention of raising £22.4m.

It has raised £13.3m from the sale so far, and will earn a further £9.1m from the other three when they complete before the financial year-end.
LIFT (Local Improvement Finance Trusts) companies took public and private sector investment to deliver primary healthcare facilities which were then let on long-term leases to NHS commissioning boards.

Assura said the deal represented a premium over the current book value of £11.2m.