The Private Health Partnership Ltd (PHP), part of Skipton Building Society group, has entered the self-pay sector of the private health market with the acquisition of Medical Care Direct Ltd (MCD).

MCD works primarily for the self-pay market assisting both individuals and company employees to identify consultants and hospitals that most closely match their specified criteria for diagnosis and/or hospital treatment and negotiate the best terms available across the UK. This may be price, location, a particular hospital or a specific consultant.

Jan Lawson, Managing Director of PHP said, “The self-pay sector of the market has been growing 20% year on year for the last 3 years and this latest acquisition is very exciting for the PHP Group. It takes us into a new segment of the healthcare market and complements perfectly our core business of medical insurance (PMI) and our subsidiary RED ARC’s care advisory services.

“The self-pay market fits naturally with a number of existing products such as high excess PMI policies, critical illness policies and in particular Trust schemes where the scheme sponsor has a close interest in ensuring a value for money purchase. Also it can provide significant cost advantages for private individuals who are not covered by a private medical insurance scheme.”

MCD will be a subsidiary of PHP and retain its own separate brand identity. Being a specialist and unique operation, operational activities will not be integrated with the rest of the group although support services such as finance, compliance, administration, human resources and IT functions will be provided by PHP.

Jan Lawson becomes Chairman of MCD and Malcolm Jones who founded the business in 2001 will continue running the business on a day to day basis as Managing Director.

Lawson continued, “The acquisition is also another key differentiator for the PHP Group and all three companies will be able to take advantage of the opportunities that will arise to add value for our clients.”

This is PHP’s 8th acquisition since becoming part of Skipton Building Society group in November 2002.