Salts Healthcare expands into North West

MEDICAL products company Salts Healthcare – one of the country’s oldest family-owned firms – has invested £500,000 in its first facility in the North West.

The Birmingham-based company, which dates back to 1701, is opening an office and clinic, offering ostomy and orthotics services, in the Didsbury area of Manchester.

The dual clinic concept is claimed to be the first such site opened in this country.

Through its two main divisions – ostomy and orthotics – Salts Healthcare designs, manufactures and distributes stoma care products including colostomy bags.

It also provides podiatry services, from foot assessments for injured sportspeople through to the design to the manufacture of specialist footwear for those with lower limb problems.

To help build-up its presence in the market it is offering a discounted rate of rent to newly-qualified podiatrists to use its clinic.

Salts employs 410 people and its 2010 turnover was £47m. Last year Salts expanded its operations when it acquired Oxfordshire-based UCI Healthcare.

Cheryl Simpson, centre manager of Medilink Didsbury, said: “I’m very proud that my centre is the first Salts ‘dual-clinic’ and I’m looking forward to serving the people of Didsbury, Manchester and the whole of the North West.”