Care UK Acquires Harmoni – outpatient sector is gaining importance

The UK healthcare company Care UK will pay £48 million for the provider Harmoni, which operates the state emergency hotline 111 for the NHS. The transaction is part of the strategy of Care UK to reduce its dependence on acute care. As part of the deal, Care UK receives access over 15 million outpatients.

Owned by the private equity firm Bridge Point Capital, Care UK cooperates with hospitals, treatment centres and doctors to establish older people and people with learning difficulties or mental health problems to care for. Care UK operates 85 nursing homes and offers more than 17,000 places for people in home care.

Harmoni is a leading UK provider of outsourced medical services and also operates joint practices of GPs.

Commentary: NHS 111 is a telephone service that was introduced in 2010 to help improve patient care in the UK. People should use the service if they urgently need help or advice, but it is not a life-threatening situation. Outpatient care can then be taken over mainly by GPs (General Practitioners). The purchase of Harmani can thus be interpreted as an attempt by Care UK – located in the British health care system which is largely financed by taxes – to focus increasingly on the outpatient care sector.

[ilink url=“http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2012/nov/06/care-uk-buys-harmoni-nhs“] Link zur Quelle (The guardian)[/ilink]