New jobs expected for care home group

Oct 8 2009 By Chris Knox, The Journal

A TYNESIDE care home group hopes to create 300 jobs as part of bold plans to open seven new sites and increase its turnover from £20m to £35m within three years.

Gateshead-based Executive Care Group said it is now ready to forge ahead with its ambitious plans after securing £20m from its banking partners and expects to secure further financial support.

The 25-year-old firm said the recession had slowed the development of some of its plans but is about to begin its latest expansion drive with the opening of a 76-bed home in Redcar early next year which will employ 50 staff.

In addition to the site in Redcar, the firm has a further six homes due to open around the UK over the next 12 months. They will open sites at South Shields on Tyneside and Stocksfield in Northumberland, as well as Poole, Newmarket, Dundee and Wisbech. Altogether they will swell its current 900-strong workforce to 1,200.

The firm has become one of the region’s largest care home operators, with more than 22 homes in its portfolio from Scotland to London, although the majority are to be found in and around the North East.

The last two years have seen the group sell on 16 homes across the UK to Britain’s largest care home group, Darlington-based Southern Cross. The disposals saw the stock-market-listed firm acquire a total of 878 beds to add to its extensive portfolio of homes across the country.