Home care group to create 500 jobs across Scotland

Home care specialist Cera Care is planning to create 500 jobs across Scotland after snapping up a rival business.

Dr Mahiben Maruthappu, CEO of Cera Care and co-founder of the NHS Innovation Accelerator.

The firm will add more than 1,000 staff and 12 dedicated offices north of the Border following its acquisition of the Mears Care Scotland operation.

The deal will see Mears’ domiciliary care arm in Scotland integrated into Cera Care with immediate effect and act as a springboard for the growth of Cera in the Scottish market.

As a result of the acquisition, Cera Care will also be looking to create 500 jobs in Scotland – the vast majority of which will be care roles.

The firm said it would be “actively recruiting” for these roles with a particular focus on Dunoon, Coatbridge, East Kilbride, Prestwick, Ellon, Perth, Glasgow, Alloa, Stirling, Clackmannanshire, Bathgate, Dalkeith and North Berwick.

Mears, which is a stock market-listed housing provider, said it had completed its exit from domiciliary care with the disposal of its Scottish business.

The sale to Cera Care, which also acquired Mears’ England and Wales domiciliary care business, is for a cash consideration of £2 million payable on completion, and a further £500,000 in a deferred payment receivable 12 months from completion, it told investors.

The 500 new roles in Scotland are part of a wider drive to recruit 10,000 staff across its entire UK business. In the first half of this year, Cera provided almost two million in-home care visits across its users.

The firm was also recently selected as the UK government Department for Health and Social Care’s recruitment technology partner.

Since its inception in 2016, Cera Care has raised some £70m in debt and equity funding to support the company’s rapid national expansion. Over the last four years, the business has grown to become one of the largest health-technology companies in Europe.

Finance director Ranpreet Grewal said: “The first half of this year has reaffirmed how vital social care is across the UK as a whole. Ultimately, we want to provide as many people as possible with access to our technology.

“This deal means we are able to create hundreds of roles across Scotland to help put people back to work, provide best in class support to the country’s elderly community and further support on the NHS during a time of unpresented pressure.

“We had set ourselves the aim of establishing a national footprint in Scotland earlier this year, and this acquisition marks a huge achievement for everyone at Cera Care.

“The infrastructure and talent we have been able to bring in as a result of this deal provides us with an ideal platform from which to continue our growth in Scotland and the rest of the UK.”

David Miles, chief executive of Mears, said: “This disposal marks our exit from domiciliary care, in line with the group’s strategy to purely focus on its core housing solutions activities.

“This disposal to Cera Care provides continuity for our customers and employees, at the same time as enabling us to focus our efforts where we can deliver greater value for shareholders.”

Cera is headed by its chief executive Dr Mahiben Maruthappu.

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