Context

Bridgepoint divested its entire stake in Care UK to Welltower, a US healthcare REIT, marking the conclusion of approximately 14 years of private equity ownership. Bridgepoint had originally acquired Care UK in 2010 and had previously attempted an unsuccessful sale process, incurring £2.5 million in abortive advisory costs as disclosed in its 2019 accounts. The deal excludes Practice Plus Group, which was carved out by Bridgepoint in 2019 and remains under its ownership. Bridgepoint was advised by Barclays (corporate finance), Allen & Overy (legal), and EY (financial and tax).

Target

Care UK is one of the UK's largest residential care home chains, founded in 1982 and operating more than 150 homes for older people across the United Kingdom, employing approximately 10,500 staff. Under Bridgepoint's ownership since 2010, the business more than doubled its estate from 59 homes at entry, and fundamentally transformed its revenue mix by increasing the proportion of higher-margin private-pay residents from 5% to over 50%. Care UK is widely recognised as a market leader in care quality, holding the highest number of Outstanding-rated homes in England as assessed by the Care Quality Commission, and achieving 100% compliance in Scotland and Wales.