By Mergers.co.uk · Last reviewed: · All sectors
This page is general commercial information for business owners. It is not legal, regulatory or clinical advice, and it has not been reviewed by a solicitor or regulator.
In short: how do you sell a healthcare business?
Selling a UK healthcare business starts with establishing sustainable earnings and understanding which income is recurring or contracted. The business's regulatory and compliance position is reviewed, along with dependence on particular commissioners, referrers or customers, workforce stability and agency use, and whether property is owned or leased. Financial and operational information is prepared before buyers ask for it, with personal information protected. Suitable strategic and financial buyers are identified and approached confidentially under a non-disclosure agreement. Offers are compared on valuation and structure, including cash at completion, deferred payments, property treatment and retained equity, and the seller's adviser manages due diligence and negotiation through to completion. Owners can sell all of the business or only part of it.
Healthcare businesses we advise
Mergers.co.uk acts for owners and shareholders of established UK healthcare and care businesses. The list below gives examples of the kinds of business this page is written for; it is not a claim of completed transactions in every category.
- Domiciliary care providers
- Supported living providers
- Specialist care providers
- Residential care groups
- Nursing care groups
- Healthcare staffing businesses
- Private clinics
- Specialist medical services
- Diagnostic businesses
- Occupational health providers
- Rehabilitation services
- Therapy businesses
- Mental health service providers
- Community healthcare providers
- Healthcare outsourcing businesses
- Specialist treatment providers
- Dental groups
- Technology-enabled healthcare services
- Other regulated and non-regulated healthcare services
What makes a healthcare business valuable?
Buyers of healthcare businesses are paying for dependable income, delivered safely and well by a stable team, under a regulatory position they can rely on. These are the factors they typically examine; not all apply to every type of healthcare business.
Recurring and contracted revenue
Healthcare income comes in several forms: recurring private-pay fees from individuals or families, local authority contracts, NHS or other public-sector contracts where relevant, framework agreements, long-term service arrangements with insurers or employers, and repeat referrals. Not all of it is contracted. A care package funded by a local authority may continue for years in practice while carrying little contractual commitment, and a framework place may give the right to receive referrals without guaranteeing any. Buyers look at how each stream actually behaves, not just its label.
Quality of earnings
Buyers value sustainable EBITDA: earnings adjusted for genuinely one-off costs and for owner costs that will not continue. In healthcare, earnings can also be affected by temporary factors, such as a period of unusually low agency spend, a one-off fee uplift, a vacant registered manager post or deferred maintenance on a property. Adjustments need evidence, and buyers will test whether current earnings reflect a sustainable cost base.
Regulatory standing
For regulated services, buyers may examine the business's registration, its inspection history and ratings where published, any enforcement or conditions, and how issues were resolved. Which regulator applies, and what registration is needed, depends on the type of healthcare activity and on where in the UK it is carried on. Some healthcare businesses, such as certain staffing or outsourcing models, may not carry out regulated activity themselves but will serve clients who do.
Service quality
Buyers may look at outcomes, complaints and how they were handled, incidents and learning from them, inspection history, feedback from patients, service users and families, and the business's own quality measures and audits. No single metric determines value; buyers are looking for a consistent picture and evidence that the business identifies and fixes problems itself.
Management depth
A healthcare business in which clinical or care leadership, operations, compliance and finance are led by capable people other than the owner is easier to transfer, because quality and earnings do not depend on one person staying. Registered managers and clinical leads who are established in their roles can be an important part of what a buyer is acquiring.
Workforce stability
Buyers may examine staff retention, vacancy levels, reliance on agency staff, the stability of senior managers, access to specialist clinical or care staff and the business's ability to recruit. In labour-intensive services, the workforce is both the main cost and the main determinant of service quality.
Customer or commissioner concentration
Dependence on one local authority, NHS organisation, insurer, referral partner, contract or large private customer creates risk: a change in that relationship, budget or commissioning approach could have a significant effect on income.
Occupancy or utilisation
Where a business has fixed capacity, such as beds, clinic rooms or therapy sessions, occupancy or utilisation shows how much of that capacity earns income. It matters for residential and nursing care, clinics and some diagnostic services, but not for every healthcare business; a domiciliary care provider, for example, is more likely to be assessed on hours delivered and staff capacity.
Property
Whether premises are freehold or leasehold, how much rent is payable, the condition and suitability of buildings and whether property is owned by the trading company or separately by the owner can all affect value and structure. Mergers.co.uk does not give legal or property advice.
Referral sources
Repeatable referral channels, such as established relationships with commissioners, consultants, GPs, insurers, employers or discharge teams, can support resilience. Buyers will want to know whether referrals come from many sources or depend on a few individuals, including the owner.
Clinical or specialist capability
Specialist expertise, such as complex care, particular clinical services, accredited programmes or scarce professional skills, can make a business strategically valuable to a buyer seeking that capability. Buyers will check that the capability is held by current staff and embedded in how the service runs.
Compliance systems
Buyers may review governance structures, policies and procedures, training records, audit programmes and how incidents, safeguarding concerns and complaints are escalated. Well-run systems give a buyer confidence that quality can be maintained under new ownership.
Technology and systems
Scheduling and rostering, care or clinical record systems, billing, reporting, workflow and data security can all affect efficiency, compliance and the ease of integrating the business. Buyers will ask what is owned, what is licensed and how securely personal and health information is held.
Geographic coverage
Services concentrated in one area may offer depth and local relationships but carry exposure to one commissioner or labour market. Coverage across several areas can suit a buyer seeking expansion, while a strong local position can suit a buyer filling a gap.
Scalability
Buyers ask whether the model can take on new services, sites or areas without central overhead rising in proportion: standardised policies, training, systems and management structures that can be replicated.
Founder dependency
In many owner-led healthcare businesses, the founder is the main source of referrals, the clinical lead, the recruiter, the contact for commissioners, the day-to-day manager and the person overseeing quality. Each of these is a separate dependency a buyer will want to see reduced or managed.
Not all healthcare revenue is equal
Recurring healthcare revenue is income a healthcare business expects to continue receiving under an ongoing arrangement, such as a care package, a contract with a commissioner, a long-term private-pay agreement or a regular referral relationship. The table describes common tendencies, not a ranking; the same type of income can look very different from one business to another.
| Revenue type | Recurring? | Contracted? | Visibility | Buyer considerations |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Recurring private-pay income | Yes, while the service continues | Individual agreements | Depends on retention and affordability | Fee levels, length of stay or service, and how fee increases are handled |
| Public-sector contracts | Often | Yes, for the term | Good during the term; renewal uncertain | Term, retender dates, pricing mechanisms and commissioner relationships |
| Long-term framework work | Can be | Framework yes; volumes often not | Depends on referral history | Actual referrals received, retender timing and whether volumes are committed |
| Block contracts | Yes | Yes | Good during the term | Utilisation of the block, pricing and renewal terms |
| Repeat referrals | Often | Usually not | Depends on referrer relationships | Number of referral sources and dependence on individuals |
| Sessional work | Sometimes | Per session or rota | Moderate | Whether sessions are regular and who delivers them |
| One-off treatment revenue | No | Per treatment | Depends on demand and marketing | Enquiry flow, conversion and repeat or follow-on treatment |
| Agency or staffing revenue | Can repeat | Often short-term | Can change quickly | Client concentration, margins and exposure to changes in client demand |
| Ad hoc project work | No | Per project | Lower | Whether it leads to ongoing contracts |
Which healthcare metrics do buyers examine?
Depending on the type of business, buyers may ask for the metrics below. Not every metric applies to every healthcare business, and many can be calculated in different ways. Mergers.co.uk does not publish benchmark percentages; the useful question is whether your figures are reliable and consistent.
| Metric | What it shows |
|---|---|
| Revenue growth | The trend, split between volume, fee increases and new services or sites. |
| EBITDA margin | Adjusted EBITDA as a share of revenue; depends on the adjustments made. |
| Recurring revenue percentage | The share of income expected to continue; the definition should be stated. |
| Customer or commissioner concentration | Share of revenue from the largest commissioners, contracts, insurers or customers. |
| Occupancy | Where there is fixed capacity, the share of available beds or places filled over a period. |
| Utilisation | The share of available staff, room or session capacity used; recording methods vary. |
| Staff turnover | Leavers over a period as a share of staff; can be measured by headcount or by role. |
| Vacancy rate | Unfilled posts as a share of the establishment the business needs. |
| Agency usage | Agency hours or cost as a share of total staffing, and the trend. |
| Referrals | Referrals received by source and over time. |
| Conversion | The share of enquiries or referrals that become paying services. |
| Average revenue per patient or service user | Income per person served, or per hour or bed; depends on service mix. |
| Gross margin | Revenue less direct care or clinical costs; staff cost allocation differs between businesses. |
| Contract duration and renewal timing | Remaining term of key contracts, and when they come up for renewal or retender. |
| Capacity | How much more the current sites, staff and systems could deliver. |
| Management depth | How many key roles are filled by established managers rather than the owner. |
Owners should explain how each metric is calculated, not just report the result, and use the same method across periods.
Occupancy, where relevant, is the proportion of a healthcare business's available beds or places that are filled over a period. Utilisation is the proportion of available capacity, such as staff hours, clinic rooms or therapy sessions, that is actually used to deliver paid services.
How is a healthcare business valued?
Valuation normally starts from maintainable EBITDA and then reflects how reliable and transferable those earnings are. Buyers consider revenue quality, the regulatory and compliance position, management depth, workforce stability, customer and commissioner concentration, contract quality, property, service mix, growth, scalability, the synergies available to them and how much competitive tension exists in the process.
Two buyers can value the same healthcare business differently. A group already operating nearby may value shared management and recruitment; a specialist consolidator may value a particular clinical capability; an investor may value contracted income and the management team; a buyer that wants the property may view a freehold very differently from one that would rather lease. Mergers.co.uk does not publish healthcare valuation multiples. See our business valuation guide.
Are healthcare businesses valued on revenue or EBITDA?
Established, profitable healthcare businesses are commonly assessed on sustainable earnings, usually EBITDA, but the approach depends on the business model. EBITDA is earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation, adjusted for one-off items; it measures profit, not sales. Revenue quality, recurring income, property, regulatory standing, growth, workforce and the type of buyer all influence what a buyer will pay for those earnings. A property-rich care group, a clinic and a staffing business are unlikely to be valued in the same way, even with similar profits.
Why regulation and compliance matter in a healthcare sale
For regulated healthcare businesses, the regulatory position is often one of the first things a buyer examines. Buyers may review registrations, inspection history, compliance records, notifications made to the regulator, safeguarding arrangements, complaints, incidents, policies, governance and, where applicable, responsible individuals and registered managers.
There is no single regulator for all UK healthcare. In England, the Care Quality Commission (CQC) states that any individual, partnership or organisation carrying on a regulated activity must be registered with it, that registration is granted to the legal entity responsible for carrying on the activity, and that some providers must have a registered manager as a condition of registration. Regulated activities and registration requirements are set out in the Health and Social Care Act 2008 and its associated regulations. Not every healthcare business carries on a regulated activity.
Because registration attaches to the legal entity, the transaction structure matters. Whether a sale requires new registrations, changes to existing ones or notifications to the regulator depends on the structure, the services and the regulator involved, and should be confirmed with the owner's solicitor and the relevant regulator's guidance.
In Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, different bodies may apply, including the Care Inspectorate and Healthcare Improvement Scotland, Care Inspectorate Wales and Healthcare Inspectorate Wales, and the Regulation and Quality Improvement Authority in Northern Ireland. See legal considerations when selling a business.
Regulatory due diligence is the part of a buyer's review that examines whether a healthcare business holds the registrations it needs, how it has performed in inspections and whether its compliance records, governance and notifications support what the seller has presented.
Why workforce stability matters
Labour-intensive healthcare businesses can be particularly sensitive to workforce stability and cost, because staff deliver the service and are usually the largest cost. Buyers may examine recruitment and retention, agency dependence, access to specialist skills, the strength of management, key-person risk, training and succession for registered managers and clinical leads.
Agency usage deserves particular attention. Some agency use to cover absence is normal, but sustained reliance can raise costs, affect continuity of care and indicate recruitment difficulty. Buyers will look at the trend and at what the business is doing about it; a falling agency bill supported by successful recruitment tells a different story from a low bill achieved by leaving posts unfilled.
Why customer or commissioner concentration matters
Commissioner concentration is the extent to which a healthcare business's income depends on a small number of funding bodies, such as a single local authority or NHS organisation. Concentration can also arise with private insurers, referral partners, corporate customers or, in a small business, a few individual private-pay customers. Not every healthcare business depends on commissioners; many are largely privately funded.
As a hypothetical illustration only: two domiciliary care providers each earn £1m of EBITDA. One receives 70% of its income from one local authority under a framework due for retender; the other has a mix of local authority, NHS-funded and private-pay clients across three areas. A buyer is likely to see more risk in the first. The figures are not thresholds, and the quality of the relationship and contract terms matter as much as the percentage.
How does property affect a healthcare business sale?
Property can materially change the structure of a healthcare transaction. A freehold may be sold with the business, retained by the owner and leased to the buyer, or sold separately. Where premises are leased, buyers will look at rent, lease length, repairing obligations and whether the landlord's consent is needed. Condition and suitability matter, particularly where buildings must meet the needs of patients or service users, and planning or permitted use may be relevant for some services.
Keeping property separate can release capital differently and create ongoing rental income for the owner, but it also changes the buyer's cost base and therefore the price for the trading business. Mergers.co.uk does not give legal or property advice; the owner's solicitor and property advisers should advise, and see the legal considerations guide.
Who buys UK healthcare businesses?
The main buyer groups are below. Not all are active across every healthcare subsector; which are realistic depends on the service type, scale, regulatory position and profitability.
Strategic healthcare groups
Seeking scale, geography, capability or service expansion. See selling to a trade buyer.
Specialist consolidators
Building larger groups in defined healthcare niches.
PE-backed healthcare platforms
Using acquisitions to add scale or specialist capability.
Private equity
Where scale, management, compliance and growth fit the investment strategy. See private equity investment.
International healthcare groups
Seeking UK presence or specialist services.
Long-term investors and family offices
Where suitable, for businesses they are prepared to hold for longer.
Management teams
A management buyout can suit where a capable team is in place and funding is available.
See also who buys stakes in UK SMEs.
Strategic buyer or private equity?
Neither is better in general. The table describes common tendencies in healthcare deals, not rules.
| Strategic buyer | Private equity | |
|---|---|---|
| Rationale | Services, sites, capability or coverage that fit its existing group | Investment return from growth, often through further acquisitions |
| Integration | Policies, systems and back office often aligned with the group's | Usually run standalone or as the base of a buy-and-build |
| Management role | Owner often stays for a handover, then steps back | Owner or team often expected to lead the next phase |
| Autonomy | Often reduced after integration | Usually retained, with investor governance and reporting |
| Retained equity | Less common; often a full sale | Common; owners often roll over part of their stake |
| Future investment | From the group's own capital plans | Investor capital for new sites, services or acquisitions |
| Transaction structure | Cash, sometimes with deferred payments or an earn-out | Cash plus rollover equity, often with debt finance |
| Growth strategy | Growth within the group's existing strategy | Organic growth plus acquisitions to a planned exit |
| Operational change | Can be significant as the group's model is applied | Typically professionalisation of reporting and governance |
More in trade sale versus private equity.
Understand Your Transaction Options
A confidential discussion about how buyers are likely to view your income, regulatory position, workforce and property, which buyer types may fit, and whether a full or partial sale suits your plans.
Do you have to sell 100% of a healthcare business?
No. Owners may want to release capital, reduce personal risk, fund growth, acquire further sites or businesses, expand geographically, recruit senior management or keep a share of future upside, and those objectives point to different routes. Read more about a partial business sale.
- Full sale: the owner sells 100% and realises most of the value at completion, subject to any deferred consideration.
- Majority sale: a buyer or investor takes control and the owner keeps a minority stake.
- Minority investment: the owner sells less than half to release capital or fund growth while keeping control.
- Strategic investment: a healthcare partner takes a stake, bringing capability, referrals or coverage alongside capital.
- Staged exit: part is sold now and the rest later, often after a period of growth.
See majority stake sale, minority stake sale, choosing a strategic partner and two-stage exit.
Retaining equity after a healthcare sale
Rollover equity is where a seller reinvests, or keeps, part of their shareholding in the business or the acquiring group instead of taking it all as cash, often with a view to a second-stage exit when that group is later sold.
Retained equity is not guaranteed upside. In healthcare, its value depends on operational risks such as inspection outcomes, staffing and commissioner decisions across the enlarged group, as well as on governance rights, dilution from future investment or acquisitions, the group's debt and the timing and terms of any later sale. It should be negotiated as carefully as the cash at completion; see negotiating business sale deal terms.
Preparing a healthcare business for sale
Healthcare buyers often ask for regulatory, workforce and quality information early, alongside the financials. Having the following ready, with personal information anonymised until it is genuinely needed, shortens due diligence. See our full guide to preparing a business for sale.
- Monthly management accounts reconciled to the statutory accounts
- A schedule of EBITDA adjustments, each with supporting evidence
- Revenue by customer, commissioner and funding source
- Key contracts, including term, pricing, renewal and change-of-control provisions
- Registration details and inspection or regulatory records, where relevant
- Staff records: roles, tenure, qualifications, training and turnover (anonymised at early stages)
- A management structure showing who leads each function
- Agency usage and cost over time
- Referral data by source
- Occupancy or utilisation data, where relevant
- Property documents, including title and leases
- Licences and registrations held
- Summaries of complaints and incidents and how they were resolved, where appropriate
- Insurance policies and claims history
- Key policies and governance documents
- Data protection records, including how patient or service-user information is handled
- Details of any litigation or disputes
- A working capital analysis, including payment terms with commissioners
- A plan to reduce founder dependency in referrals, clinical leadership and management
- A structured data room, prepared before buyers ask
What will buyers examine during due diligence?
Scope varies by buyer, service type and transaction, but buyers may examine the areas below.
- Financial performance
- Quality of earnings, fee levels, cost of care or clinical delivery and the sustainability of margins.
- Contracts
- Commissioner, insurer and customer contracts: term, pricing, renewal and change-of-control terms.
- Regulatory position
- Registrations, inspection history, conditions, notifications and any enforcement, where applicable.
- Service quality
- Outcomes, audits, feedback and how quality is monitored and improved.
- Workforce
- Retention, vacancies, agency reliance, training, right-to-work and key-person risk.
- Management
- Registered managers or clinical leads where applicable, succession and management capability.
- Property
- Title, leases, rent, condition, suitability and any planning or use considerations.
- Customer concentration
- Dependence on the largest commissioners, contracts, referrers and customers.
- Commissioner relationships
- The health of key relationships and any upcoming retenders.
- Complaints and incidents
- Records, trends, safeguarding and how issues were investigated and resolved.
- Insurance
- Cover, claims history and any gaps.
- Data protection
- How personal and health information is processed, stored and shared.
- Litigation
- Current or threatened claims from patients, service users, staff or others.
- Supplier dependencies
- Reliance on agencies, clinical suppliers or outsourced services.
- Technology and systems
- Record, rostering and billing systems, security and licences.
- Working capital
- Debtor days with commissioners and insurers, and any seasonality.
Legal, regulatory and tax advice on these matters comes from the owner's own professional advisers. See the due diligence checklist and legal considerations guide.
How do you sell a healthcare business confidentially?
In healthcare, an early leak can unsettle staff at a time when recruitment is already difficult, worry patients, service users and families about continuity, prompt questions from commissioners and referrers, and invite competitors to approach staff or suppliers. A disciplined process controls who learns what, and when:
- Targeted outreach to selected buyers, each approved by the owner.
- An anonymised initial profile, so the business is not identifiable.
- Buyers qualified for fit, regulatory credibility and ability to fund before they progress.
- A non-disclosure agreement signed before detailed information is shared.
- Staged disclosure, with commissioner, staff and site details released last.
- Controlled data-room access, logged and limited by stage.
Personal and health information about patients or service users should not be shared casually in a sale process. Information is normally anonymised or aggregated, and any sharing of personal data should be lawful, limited to what is necessary and agreed with the owner's advisers. More on selling without employees finding out and the sell-side process.
Comparing offers for a healthcare business
Owners should compare the headline valuation, cash at completion, deferred consideration, any earn-out, retained equity, how the buyer is funding the deal, any regulatory or other conditions to completion, the management commitment expected, how property is treated, the implications for employees and overall execution certainty. In healthcare, a buyer's regulatory track record and its plans for staff and service users can matter to the owner as much as price. See how to compare business sale offers.
Healthcare business sale FAQs
How much is my healthcare business worth?
A healthcare business's value depends mainly on its sustainable earnings and how reliable they are: the quality of its income, regulatory standing, service quality, workforce stability, dependence on particular commissioners or referrers, property position, management depth and how much competition there is among buyers. Because business models vary widely across healthcare, a reliable view needs a review of the specific business rather than a published multiple.
Are healthcare businesses valued on revenue or EBITDA?
Established, profitable healthcare businesses are commonly assessed on sustainable earnings, usually EBITDA, but the approach depends on the business model. Revenue quality, property, regulatory standing, growth, workforce and the type of buyer can all influence value, so not every healthcare business is valued in the same way.
Does recurring or contracted income increase value?
Income that is likely to continue, whether through contracts, long-term private-pay arrangements or reliable referrals, generally makes a healthcare business more attractive to buyers because future earnings are more predictable. How much weight it carries depends on the terms, the margin earned and the risk of the relationship ending.
Does customer or commissioner concentration reduce value?
It can. If a large share of income comes from one local authority, NHS organisation, insurer, referrer or customer, buyers may reflect the risk of losing it in price or structure. Long contracts, a strong relationship record and diversified referral sources can reduce the concern.
Who buys healthcare businesses in the UK?
Buyers of UK healthcare businesses can include strategic healthcare groups, specialist consolidators, private equity-backed healthcare platforms, private equity investors, international healthcare groups, long-term investors and family offices, and management teams. Which are realistic depends on the service type, scale, regulatory position and profitability.
Can I sell part of my healthcare business?
Yes. Owners of healthcare businesses can sell a majority stake, sell a minority stake, take strategic investment from an industry partner or plan a staged exit rather than selling 100%. Each route balances capital released, control retained and future upside differently.
Can I stay involved after selling a majority stake?
Often, yes. In healthcare the owner may be the clinical lead or hold key commissioner relationships, so a buyer of a majority stake may want them to keep a minority shareholding and a leadership role for an agreed period. The role, retained shares and terms of any later sale are negotiated as part of the deal.
How important is regulatory compliance when selling?
Very important for regulated healthcare businesses. Buyers may examine registrations, inspection history, compliance records and governance, and unresolved concerns can affect price, structure or whether a buyer proceeds. Requirements depend on the type of service and where in the UK it operates, so owners should take advice from their solicitor and, where relevant, check the regulator's guidance.
Will buyers review inspection history?
Where a business is inspected by a regulator, buyers are likely to review its published reports and ratings, how any issues were addressed and whether there are outstanding actions or conditions. A record of problems identified and resolved can be more reassuring than one with unanswered concerns.
How important are staff retention and agency usage?
Very important in labour-intensive healthcare businesses. Staff retention supports continuity and quality of care, while heavy reliance on agency staff can raise costs and affect consistency. Buyers look at turnover, vacancies, agency spend and the trend in each, and at whether the business can recruit.
Does property affect the value of a healthcare business?
Yes. Freehold property, leases, rent, building condition and whether property is owned by the trading company or separately can change both value and structure. Some sales include property; others keep it separate, with the buyer taking a lease. The owner's solicitor and property advisers should advise on the specifics.
Can a healthcare business sale remain confidential?
Yes, in most cases. A targeted approach to selected buyers, an anonymised initial profile, non-disclosure agreements and staged release of information help keep the process confidential from staff, service users, commissioners and competitors. Personal and health information about patients or service users should not be shared in a sale process except where lawful and necessary, and usually only in anonymised form.
How long does a healthcare business sale take?
Timescales vary with preparation, the buyer, the deal structure and any regulatory steps. Preparing the business, approaching buyers, negotiating and completing due diligence together commonly take a number of months, and any registration changes required by the transaction structure can add time.
What do buyers examine during due diligence?
Buyers of healthcare businesses may examine financial performance, contracts, regulatory position, service quality, workforce, management, property, customer and commissioner concentration, complaints and incidents, insurance, data protection, litigation, supplier dependencies, technology and working capital. Scope varies by buyer, service type and transaction.
Should I approach competitors about buying my healthcare business?
Competitors can be logical buyers, but approaching them directly risks exposing staff, commissioner and pricing information to a business that could use it if no deal follows. A controlled process, with an adviser approaching them anonymously and releasing sensitive information only in stages, reduces that risk.
Why speak to Mergers.co.uk rather than advertise the business?
Advertising a healthcare business for sale exposes it to staff, service users, commissioners and competitors, and tends to attract whoever happens to be looking rather than the buyers best placed to continue the service. Mergers.co.uk acts on the sell side only, for owners and shareholders, never for buyers, combining valuation advice, targeted buyer research, confidential approaches and negotiation through to completion for full and partial sales. Legal, regulatory, clinical and tax advice remains with your own professional advisers. How a sell-side adviser works.