Care UK’s mental health services to be acquired by Partnerships in Care

Care UK’s mental health services are to be acquired by specialist mental health services provider Partnerships in Care (PiC) on June 1, it has been confirmed. 

Care UK currently operates 20 services supporting NHS commissioners to meet mental health needs, with a total of 323 beds. This acquisition will significantly enhance PiC’s care pathways in mental health rehabilitation and expand its offering into child and adolescent eating disorder and self-injury provision.

The sale is part of a strategic programme to enable Care UK to focus on developing its provision of primary and secondary NHS health services and residential care services, including its previously announced investment programme in newly-built residential and nursing facilities, which is the largest such programme in the UK.

Care UK is also progressing its strategic review process regarding the potential acquisition of its domiciliary care and learning disabilities services.

Mike Parish, chief executive of Care UK, said: “Care UK has developed market leading positions in health and social care and is well placed to further enhance services to the benefit of its customers, patients and service users. In services where Care UK is not currently the market leader or anticipating significant growth, these excellent organisations will benefit from being part of other specialist providers committed to market leadership in their respective sectors.

“Making these changes will not only improve the sustainability of individual services in exceptionally challenging times, but will strengthen the resilience of the sector as a whole.”

Service users and commissioners should not see any change in services and frontline colleagues and operational leaders are expected to transfer to PiC on their existing terms and conditions.

Joy Chamberlain, group chief executive of PiC, said: “I am delighted with the addition of these units to PiC’s portfolio, and our expansion into child and adolescent services. 

“The acquisition will strengthen PiC’s service offering and provide more options along the care pathway for our patients and NHS commissioners, as well as employment and growth opportunities for clinicians and health professionals.” 

“Combined with the recent acquisitions of Pastoral Healthcare, Vista Hospital and two units from Choice Lifestyle we have acquired over 500 new beds in recent weeks. The acquisitions considerably increase our presence across the UK and demonstrate the commitment by PiC’s parent company, Acadia Healthcare, to invest in the UK.”