Member Article

Northumberland's Annie Barr explores further Chinese opportunities

Healthcare training firm Annie Barr International is continuing to expand overseas, delivering a series of new partnerships and courses in China and Hong Kong.

Now with support from the Department for International Trade (DIT), the Tyne Valley-based firm is exploring the Asian marketplacefollowing success in previously delivered courses in Dubai, Lebanon, Australia, Brunei and New Zealand.

Annie launched her business in 2009, offering consultancy and training services to healthcare professionals.

Now, following a sustained growth period, Annie Barr Associates has grown from a rural Northumberland-based business into an international force, providing accredited healthcare training and consultancy.

Accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the training provider works with healthcare professionals in elderly care, primary and secondary care.

Annie Barr explained: “We are dedicated to providing overseas markets with the best of the UK’s expertise, strengthening healthcare delivery and patient care across the globe.

“China offers huge opportunities for us as they have very little primary care structures and need a lot of support and expertise to get the most out of the healthcare resources available to them.

“The support and advice we have received from Department for International Trade has been invaluable. Having a local International Trade Adviser, backed up by all the expertise in London, including Healthcare UK, has been instrumental to our success.

“I am passionate about improving care, both here and overseas and our high quality training delivered through a network of experts who have all worked at senior, decision-making levels in the UK healthcare system, many influencing government policy supports this.”

John Doolan, International Trade Adviser for Department for International Trade has worked with Annie for some time and commented: “Annie Barr International shows that determination and a passion for improvement can bring incredible overseas returns.

“Sharing their expertise and experience of revolutionising healthcare practices has proved irresistible to markets such as China.”

Annie added: “We are growing both domestically and internationally. In both cases, we are investing in our people and making sure that as well as offering the best possible training and service, they also feel valued and empowered.”