Healthcare firm charts growth after new funding deal

A CANNOCK-based firm that provides services to healthcare professionals throughout the country is charting growth after securing a new funding deal.

Healthcare Licensing Support, which was only established last year, has been backed by a loan from the Staffordshire Business Loan Fund.

The fund, set up by Staffordshire County Council and specialist funder BCRS Business Loans, supports Staffordshire businesses that are unable to obtain finance from mainstream lenders. It is part financed by the European Regional Development Fund and loans of £10,000 to £50,000 are made available to viable businesses.

Healthcare Licensing Support provides appraisal, revalidation and responsible officer services to practising doctors. Licensed doctors have to revalidate every five years by having an annual appraisal. Most of the company’s work is generated by agencies employing locum doctors, though is also provides appraisal services to hospitals and independent doctors.

The loan has helped the firm with the purchase of new equipment and with the expansion of the business.

Wendy Bailes, managing director, said: “Healthcare Licensing Support prides itself on providing a personalised experience for all doctors who are seeking verification of their medical professional suitability to practice. With a strong strategic vision for the future, a wealth of personal experience and financial assistance from the Staffordshire Business Loan Fund, making this vision a reality is incredibly exciting.”

The firm is now looking to further growth and the opportunity to take on additional staff.

Julie Bullock, operations director said, “When we need to recruit, there’s a pool of skilled people here right on our doorstep in Staffordshire. With the help from the Staffordshire Business Loan fund – this could be sooner than we thought.”

Cllr Mark Winnington, Staffordshire’s economy leader, said: “Healthcare Licensing Support offers an invaluable service to medical practitioners, which is good news for us all. It demonstrates the diversity of the businesses which have benefited from the fund and how it is boosting a range of sectors. The company has achieved real success in a short pace of time and is looking to create more jobs in Staffordshire. We’re pleased the fund has played a part in the company’s progression.”

Paul Kalinauckas, chief executive of BCRS, said: “We work hard in order to identify needs of the Staffordshire business population and how we can deliver services at a local level. As a business fund, BCRS has a more flexible approach to lending. We look at the business and the people running it first, because our security is the quality of the operation itself.”