SAVILLS Healthcare has opened a specialist healthcare department in its Ipswich office, headed up by Charles Harrison-Pinder.Mr Harrison-Pinder has more than 23 years of experience in the sector and will focus on the sale and valuation of care and nursing homes, specialising in care homes and development.

SAVILLS Healthcare has opened a specialist healthcare department in its Ipswich office, headed up by Charles Harrison-Pinder.

Mr Harrison-Pinder has more than 23 years of experience in the sector and will focus on the sale and valuation of care and nursing homes, specialising in care homes and development.

“Savills are currently fully retained by private and corporate operators with a combined war chest of £500million. This reflects the scarcity of quality businesses on the open market,” said Mr Harrison-Pinder.

Ipswich is seen by the estate agency as ideally placed for the whole of the East Anglian region as well as Greater London and the south east, making it a “natural” site to develop its healthcare operation.

“With the amount of money sitting dormant, Savills is actively contacting medium to large operators throughout London and the south east with a view to a very low profile one-off approach,” said Mr Harrison-Pinder.

“Given that most operators are wary of publicity and in view of the fact that it is a sellers' market, we are expecting a strong response.”