Salford move leads to expansion for BioClinics after £50k revamp

BioClinics has recruited four teenage apprentices after a move to bigger headquarters in Salford gave the testing firm scope to expand its workforce.

The four apprentices will form a new clinical administration team to enable BioClinics to meet growing demand for its DNA, drug and alcohol tests.

Lucy Henning, 17, Malwina Piech and Tom Wood, both 18, who are all from Salford, and Josh Belcher, 19, from Wigan, take the number of staff at BioClinics to 12.

The firm has moved into a former United Welsh Chapel in Eccles after outgrowing its previous premises on the nearby Nasmyth Business Park.

The Old Chapel, a 19th century building on Peel Street, was used by the Probation Service until 2012. A £50k restoration and refurbishment programme has been undertaken at the two-storey building over the past few months.

This has included creating open-plan offices, while original features – beams, a brick arch and timber ceiling roses – which had been hidden behind false ceilings for decades, have been restored and are now exposed.

BioClinics’ founder and scientific director Nichola McChrystal: “The building provides us with a bigger base which can accommodate further expansion of the business as we continue to increase our market share,” she added.

“We wanted to remain in the Salford area, and these premises have good transport links, are full of character, and are a great place to work.”

The new apprentices will co-ordinate appointments between clients and BioClinics’ nationwide network of clinics and mobile sample collectors, and they will be responsible for distributing testing kits.