Anchor expands to 127 care homes with two Yorkshire purchases

Not-for-profit care provider Anchor Hanover Group is expanding to run 127 care homes, following its purchase of two more homes in Yorkshire.

The provider of care and housing for over 55s has bought The Mill House in Skipton, North Yorkshire and The Manor House in Roundhay Leeds, which are currently under construction and are due to become operational in April 2023 and June 2024 respectively. The two care homes, purchased from Hadrian Healthcare, will join the Anchor care home portfolio, once completed to make 127 homes in total.

Anchor confirmed in July 2022 that contracts had been exchanged to acquire Halcyon Care Homes Topco Ltd and its 11 care homes in the East Midlands and South England. The acquisition of these care homes alongside two more care home purchases in Yorkshire, means Anchor’s care home portfolio will grow from 114 to 127 care homes.

Realising 'aspirations to provide more homes'

Sarah Jones, Anchor’s chief executive, (its former chief financial officer who took over the job on 1 August from Jane Ashcroft, said: “Hadrian Healthcare is a well-known name in the sector for the development and construction of high-quality, purpose-built residential care homes, and these two homes will add to the five homes we acquired from them in 2019.

“We’ve set out a clear strategy for growth in our Business Plan, and this latest announcement shows how we’re realising those aspirations to provide more homes where people love living in later life, and to create more opportunities for people to find a fulfilling career working in the social care sector.”

Both The Mill House in Skipton and The Manor House in Roundhay include en-suite rooms. The Mill House also included eight residential care apartments in Mill Lodge. The Mill House is situated next to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal, while The Manor House, Roundhay is situated in the Roundhay conservation area.

Ms Jones added: “Anchor will continue to set high standards in terms of operating sustainable and energy-efficient homes, with these new additions being built to an Energy Performance Certificate A rating standard, including energy efficient measures to retain and recover heat while maintaining high levels of internal air quality and generating renewable energy onsite through solar photovoltaic panels.”

‘Occupancy levels continue to recover’

Announcing last July the publication of its annual report and financial statements for year ended 31 March 2022, Anchor Hanover Group stated: ‘Occupancy levels continue to recover from the lows experienced during the pandemic and consumer demand remains strong.

‘Despite ongoing restrictions on admissions for care homes and challenging recruitment environment, Anchor ended the period under review with occupancy levels at 98.5 per cent and 83.9 per cent in our housing and care homes respectively (prior year: 97.7 per cent housing to let, 78.2 per cent care homes)’.

Having launched its ‘Be Well’ free service to support housing residents to claim the benefits they are entitled to and get the best deal on their energy, the group took 14,000 calls.

The care group added: ‘Increasing cost of living pressures and energy price rises over the last year have driven the number of calls to our Be Wise service, which increased by 13 per cent on the previous year.’

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