NEWS
Deals and investment
South Cliff Dental Group acquires three dental practices South Cliff Dental Group has acquired three dental practices in Steyning, West Sussex, and Southampton. The three practices, Dale Road, Portland Street and Steyning Dental Care, were left under threat after a previous deal between NHS England and Swiss-owned dentistry chain Colosseum fell through. The failure to secure a deal would have left almost 15,000 people
without an NHS dentist and 30 clinicians and support staff jobless. The South Cliff Dental Group acquisition team was led by its chief executive, Ashkan Pitchforth while corporate legal advice was provided by commercial law firm, Brabners. As part of the deal, South Cliff Dental Group has pledged to spend £500,000 over the next three years to revitalise and modernise the practices.
Sk:n group acquires Adonia Medical Group The sk:n group has acquired Adonia Medical Group, the parent company for Courthouse Clinics, which offers anti-ageing aesthetic and wellbeing treatments, with centres located in London, Birmingham, Brentwood, Esher, Haywards Heath, Hereford, Maidenhead, Sheffield, Southampton, Watford and Wilmslow. The sk:n group was formed when TriSpan acquired it from Graphite Capital in February last year. Since then, sk:n group has acquired The Harley Medical Group – adding a further 19 clinics to its portfolio – as well as Destination Skin, a chain of 16 aesthetic skincare clinics. The group has also acquired the 7 Skin Health Spa and Flint+Flint Clinics.
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Darren Grassby, chief executive at sk:n group, said of the Adonia Medical Group acquisition: “This is another great addition to our portfolio which will allow us to reach into new clinic locations while adding greater diversity to our group.” He added: “Our aim is to continue to grow and to develop while continuing to offer the same levels of service and support to all our clients and staff. 2020 will be a very exciting year for the group. We have great confidence in the future of the industry, and we look forward to giving our clients an enhanced experience in and out of the clinic.”
Nicola Lomas, legal director at Brabners, said: “Ultimately, thousands of people would have been left without a dentist had this deal not completed and I’m immensely proud of the work that’s been done to ensure these vital services continue to be delivered. NHS organisations are under pressure to deliver more care on a decreasing budget and the lifeline that a business like South Cliff offers them is often vital to their survival.”
Pitchforth commented: “This was an incredibly complex process involving significant restructuring of all three practices and could not have happened without the expert support of Nicola and her team. Our focus now is making these three practices more than just fit for purpose. Our mission is to create flagship practices across the South that offer top-of-the-line care for many years to come.”
Advanced Oncotherapy works with The London Clinic to offer cancer treatment Advanced Oncotherapy (AVO), a developer of proton therapy systems for cancer treatment, is to work with The London Clinic to operate AVO’s first commercial LIGHT facility on Harley Street in London. The London Clinic, a private charitable hospital, offers patients advanced diagnostic scanning, adaptive radiotherapy for bladder cancer, and the use of hydrogel spacers to minimise the side effects of prostate cancer radiation therapy. As part of a memorandum of understanding, The London Clinic selected AVO as its partner because AVO’s LIGHT system has been designed to generate a much smaller beam and, as such, is able to deliver more precise treatment for cancer patients due to the electronicallycontrollable energy modulation of the proton beams. Under the terms of the MoU, AVO will provide the LIGHT proton accelerator and treatment room equipment and The London Clinic will source and manage staffing, governance and other services necessary for the clinical operation of the facility. Al Russell, chief executive of The London Clinic, said: “Proton beam therapy is a very exciting
new treatment, but access has been limited due to the costs and size of equipment. Until now. AVO’s LIGHT system reduces size and cost, while providing the same high success rate for patients.” He added: “We’re excited to be the first hospital in London to offer this new treatment. The new service will adjoin our main site on Harley Street and enable The London Clinic to help even more patients fight and survive cancer while furthering our aim of advancing healthcare.” Nicolas Serandour, chief executive of AVO, said: “We are delighted to announce that The London Clinic will now operate our Harley Street LIGHT facility, the agreement with Circle Health having lapsed. The site is expected to allow us to treat a wide group of patients and help drive further awareness to proton beam therapy for the treatment of cancer. The London Clinic is one of the leading private cancer treatment hospitals in the UK and its decision to select our LIGHT system for proton beam therapy is a significant validation of our technology and capabilities. The proposed profit-sharing agreement with The London Clinic ensures that AVO retains an interest in the future success of the facility.”
HealthInvestor UK • April 2020
