Private equity-backed City & County Healthcare has acquired Guardian Homecare.

Private equity-backed City & County Healthcare has acquired Guardian Homecare.

Domiciliary care provider City & County has around 1,750 employees and operates mainly across the Midlands to the South East. The deal is the company’s second bolt-on acquisition in six months following the purchase in April of Nottinghamshire-based Sterling Homecare. City & County is backed by private equity firm Sovereign Capital.

Craig Rushton, CEO of City & County Healthcare, comments: ‘[Guardian’s] services and geographic presence add to and complement our existing offering, and the acquisition both consolidates our coverage of London and the South East and moves forward our UK expansion, with its branches in the north of England and Northern Ireland.’

Established in 2000, Guardian Homecare employs around 275 care workers and provides home care to the elderly and those with learning disabilities. The Kent-based company has five branches across England and Northern Ireland and seven franchises in England.



The deal was supported by facilities provided by Lloyds TSB Corporate Markets Acquisition Finance.



Sovereign has committed £25 million of funding to City & County and intends to continue to expand the company through buy and build acquisitions.