Legal advice from Flint Bishop has again assisted care homes group Rushcliffe Care in its ongoing programme of strategic acquisitive growth.
The expertise shown by the firm’s corporate team in acting for the Loughborough-based business is helping Flint Bishop rapidly emerge as a major player in the healthcare sector.
Rushcliffe Care – one of the country’s largest independent care homes operators – has been advised by David Kaplan, Head of Corporate on a number of key acquisitions over the past four years.
Most recently David and his team acted for the company on its purchase of two adult special needs homes in North West Leicestershire – acquisitions which have strengthened Rushcliffe Care’s presence in the specialist care market.
Surjit Rai, chief executive of Rushcliffe Care, said Flint Bishop had played a vital role in helping Rushcliffe Care identify and secure opportunities for targeted acquisitive growth in recent years.
He said: “We operate in a highly sensitive, complex sector so using legal advisers we can rely upon and who implicitly understand our market is extremely important to us.
“Over the past four years we have forged a strong relationship with David Kaplan and his team and we value greatly Flint Bishop’s input as we seek to expand our portfolio and increasingly diversify into the specialist care sector. “We seek Flint Bishop’s guidance and assistance at a very early stage of a transaction so that we can benefit, not only from their legal input, but also their commercial experience and knowledge. In addition, we are increasingly using different disciplines within Flint Bishop to provide legal advice in all areas of our business”
David Kaplan – whose team also acts for other clients in the healthcare sector – said he was delighted to represent such a well run business and to have forged a close working relationship with the company.
He said: “It is important that we work closely with our clients in order to provide them with the strategic advice they need and deserve. We aim to become a member of our client’s team with a view to being there for the long run.
“We commit time and effort to getting to know how each client wants to do business. Every client is different and we try to tailor our advice and services accordingly. This enables us to provide to our clients the service they actually want and need. By getting to know Rushcliffe Care better, Flint Bishop now provides advice to Rushcliffe Care in a number of disciplines.”
Rushcliffe Care, which acquired the special care homes from private owners for an undisclosed sum, now operates around 26 homes in England and employs more than 1000 people.
With its geographical coverage now extending to the East Midlands, North West England and South East England, the group is increasingly seeking new opportunities in the specialist care sector.
Advised by Flint Bishop Rushcliffe Care acquired two residential facilities for adults with learning disabilities in Staffordshire two years ago and will also shortly be opening a 117-bed special care facility in Harlow, Essex.
The award-winning group – who was also advised by the law firm on its purchase of Oakford Manor nursing home in Glossop in October last year – originally operated just one care home in Loughborough.
Surjit Rai added: “We’ve grown extensively in recent years, with turnover in the past 18 months alone increasing by 30 per cent and we will continue to expand the business as and when the right opportunities come along.”
Rushcliffe Care has won several major industry accolades in the past decade including winner of the Success Through People Award in the Leicestershire Business Awards 2007; Finalist in the Leicestershire Business of the Year award 2007; best employer of more than 250 staff in the National Training Awards 2004 and Independent Care Operator of the Year in 2001.
It was also named as one of the East Midlands’ fastest growing companies by Finance Midlands Insider Business and Finance magazine three years ago.