Amicus Healthcare Group and General Healthcare Group have merged to create a new company.
The recently formed General Healthcare Group employs 8,000 staff and encompasses 52 acute and psychiatric hospital units. It has a turnover in excess of £350 million.
The combined business will continue to serve 160,000 inpatients and 790,000 outpatients every year.
The firm’s 41 acute care hospitals will be branded BMI Healthcare. The psychiatric services, Partnerships in Care, will operate 11 units.
BMI Healthcare represents 80% of the group. According to the managing director, Nigel Harris, high standards of care and medical excellence are top of the agenda.
“Our prime concern will always be to provide the best private acute hospital services for local people in local communities,” he said.
Charles Auld, chief executive of GHG, added: “Our mission is to be the private healthcare provider of choice for patients, consultants, insurers and other funders. With the merger we can capitalise on our joint expertise and have achieved a critical mass which will allow us to deliver quality services even more efficiently. The business will benefit from savings and added value expertise from combining resources at a corporate service level.”