GE Healthcare has acquired Finnamore, a health and social care consultancy founded twenty years ago.

Its customers include a number of NHS trusts such as University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust and NHS Brighton and Hove, as well as local councils and private health providers.

As a result of the acquisition, GE Healthcare’s UK consultancy arm, formerly Performance Solutions UK, will become GE Healthcare Finnamore, expanding its employee base to 70.

It will be based in London and led by John Deverill, formerly managing director of Finnamore.

In a press statement, GE said that the acquisition was part of a strategy that would help healthcare providers “navigate some of their most complex challenges in a climate of increased budgetary pressures, as chronic disease incidence increases amongst an ageing population.”

Andy Ward, the former head of Performance Solutions UK, will now lead GE Healthcare’s consultancy work in Northern Europe.

Ward said, “NHS England recently cited a potential £30 billion funding gap by 2020-21 if services continue to be delivered in the same way.

"This acquisition increases our scale and expertise to help our customers optimise capacity and ensure that patients are cared for and treated as efficiently and effectively as possible.”