West Midlands home care specialist Salts Healthcare has acquired Healthlink, a Dispensing Appliance Contractor (DAC) covering Sussex, Hampshire, Kent and Surrey.

The acquisition will enable Salts to make its UK customer service network fully national, increasing its number of care centres to 17.

Sussex-based Healthlink has been run for 30 years by its founder and owner Liz Box, who is due to retire.

Family-owned Salts Healthcare, established over 300 years ago, specialises in stoma and continence care products.

The company’s home delivery service, Salts Medilink, provides specialist nurses and rapid prescription delivery via a network of customer care centres.

According to Peter Salt, Salts Healthcare’s Managing Director, the company “provides a vital service to ostomy and continence patients throughout the UK”. He added: “That passion to provide the very best service is found across the Healthlink team, and it’s that same quality of care and professional principles that attracted us.”

“This is a new chapter for both me and the company, and I’m delighted that my work will be continued with the same passion by Salts Healthcare,” said Liz Box. “As a family-owned firm, I know that Salts will look after my company, my staff and most importantly the patients.”

For Salts Healthcare, the last year has seen new product launches, significant export growth and the acquisition of UCI Healthcare.

Philip Salt, CEO, (pictured above with Liz Box and Peter Salt), commented: “Our early history shows we were originally metal workers who progressed to surgical instruments. This adaptation was borne out of our home-made but specialist skills and the desire to innovate. The same principles apply now, especially in a global economy with pressures for cheaper products coming from across the world.”

The Association of British Healthcare Industries (ABHI) and Medilink UK have signed a concordat to support joint working.

Trade association ABHI’s members include many leading medtech companies in the UK, while industry specialist Medilink UK represents many innovative life science SMEs.

The two organisations will explore ways of working together to improve the industry’s representation to Government and in Europe and its access to NHS evaluation, as well as offering its members joint events and shared information.

The concordat is intended to create a framework for joint working, with four overall goals:

• To create a favourable political and economic environment for the UK medtech industry.
• To develop a joint policy on NHS purchasing and UK uptake of medical technologies.
• To develop a co-ordinated approach to international trade.
• To encourage adoption and recognition of the principles of the ABHI Code of Business Practice.

Tony Davis, Chairman of Medilink UK (right in picture), said: “It’s a natural fit for our two organisations to work closely for the betterment of UK healthcare and industry. The statistics and anecdotes we gather from day-to-day work with SMEs supports the crucial work ABHI is doing to raise the profile of the medical technology industry within Government.

“The healthcare supply chain is strong within the UK, made up of nearly 4,500 companies, with innovative solutions that can go a long way towards achieving the savings and patient experience goals of the NHS. The concordat gives us the structure to work together to encourage the adoption of these innovative UK technologies for the benefit of UK patients.”

Peter Ellingworth, Chief Executive of ABHI (left in picture), added: “The concordat will allow ABHI and Medilink UK to improve the representation of the medical technology industry in the UK. This collaboration will strengthen both our organisations; joint representation will help us raise the profile of the sector and improve the value of membership through sharing information and access to events.

“This is a crucial time for the NHS and the medical technology industry wants to engage and support it. The much discussed £20billion savings target will only be achieved if the NHS is willing to change the delivery of healthcare, something medical technology can enable them to do. It is important that industry has a strong voice.”

ABHI is the leading industry association for the UK medical technologies sector, including medical devices, equipment and consumables.

Medilink UK is a national healthcare technology business support organisation that connects manufacturers and suppliers with potential partners and customers to promote business development.

Life science industry specialist MedilinkWM is seeking entries for its Healthcare Business Awards 2011. Innovative companies across the West Midlands region can enter. The winners will go on to the Medilink UK Awards in 2012.

The five award categories are: innovation, partnership with the NHS/academia, outstanding growth, export achievement, and best start-up. Entry is free; forms are available from www.MedilinkWM.co.uk.

The Healthcare Business Awards 2011 will follow the MedTech Confer in Birmingham on 3 November. Both events are free to local organisations.

MedilinkWM develops business networks for healthcare companies in the region.

Birmingham-based medical devices company Salts Healthcare has opened a ‘dual clinic’ for stoma and foot care in Didsbury, Manchester.

The first facility of its kind in the UK, Medilink Didsbury will offer ostomy and othotic products and services to the region – thus combining the company’s two specialist healthcare areas.

Salts has invested £500,000 in the new clinic, its first in the North-West of England. To help build up its business, the clinic is offering a discounted rate of rent to newly-qualified podiatrists.

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.”

Formed in 1701 and among the UK’s oldest family-owned firms, Salts Healthcare supplies custom-designed stoma care products and podiatry services for individual patients.