Partner Article

Rugby business acquired by leading Norway-based operator

A software company based in Rugby which is the largest independent supplier of measurement tools for mental health in the UK has been acquired by a leading operator in Norway.

Mental Health Informatics Holding, trading as Norse Feedback, has acquired CORE Information Management Services (CORE IMS).

CORE IMS was founded in 2001 by John Mellor-Clark and Alex Curtis Jenkins and is a sector-leader in the UK for psychological therapy evaluation measures.

It was formed followed John’s work as part of a project team at Leeds University in the late 1990s to develop the first UK-standardised quality evaluation system for psychological therapy.

The system called CORE (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation) revolutionised the sector with the provision of standardised paper tools. The subsequent development and support of specialist software has been the foundation for the company’s growth and success.

Norse Feedback is a leading operator in Norway and has acquired CORE IMS to support its expansion into the UK healthcare market.

The business was founded in 2018 and develops, markets and implements sophisticated behavioural health measurement technology.

CORE IMS’s existing team will continue to operate in the UK, working in partnership with Norse Feedback to further establish the business as a national leader in the sector.

Accountancy firm Burgis & Bullock advised CORE IMS on the sale, with The Wilkes Partnership providing legal advice.

John Mellor-Clark at CORE IMS, said: “This is a great deal for the business and as part of Mental Health Informatics Holding (MHIH) we can continue to be at the forefront of innovation in the sector as we have been for more than 20 years.

“The industry has changed a lot since we launched and technology has driven that transformation. We started out as an optical scanning business at Leeds University using paper copies of CORE system tools, and CORE IMS went on to independently develop a range of software systems to support those tools.

“We would like to thank our advisers Burgis & Bullock and The Wilkes Partnership for their support on the sale and for enabling the business to continue to grow.

“MHIH/Norse Feedback is a great cultural fit for our organisation and the products from both businesses complement each other well.”

Simon Chapman, corporate finance partner at Burgis & Bullock, said: “We have worked with CORE IMS since its formation and have supported its growth and development for more than two decades.

“Burgis & Bullock has a strong track record of work in the health-tech sector and in completing cross-border mergers and acquisitions. We were therefore perfectly positioned to advise on this sale to a leading operator in Europe and in doing so support CORE IMS in the next phase of its growth.”

Rick Smyth, Corporate Partner at The Wilkes Partnership, said: “We were delighted to act for John and Alex on this transaction. The firm would like to wish them every success in their new roles as Consultants and we look forward to continuing to advise them in the future. It was our seventh international transaction in the last 12 months and once again, underlines why Wilkes is a leading choice of law firm for mid-market cross-border M&A.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Matt Joyce .