Quantica has sold its healthcare business to Advantage Healthcare for £4.5m.

The business provides care and qualified social workers, mostly on a temporary or contract basis.

Quantica will now focus on its professional services division, which supplies to several industry sectors, including technology, supply chain management and accountancy. Quantica also has a sizeable training business.

Les Lawson, chairman and chief executive of Quantica, said: "While Quantica Healthcare is profitable, it does not represent a core business for Quantica going forward. The disposal represents the next step in Quantica's development and enables the group to increase focus on its Professional Services division, which now represents the largest contributor to group net income.

The business has 76 employees, including 58 fee-earners. In the year to 2 December, it generated turnover of £15.6m and pre-tax profit of £1.3m.

Quantica said increasing regulatory requirements (such as Criminal Records Bureau checks and increased training requirements) had been factors in the decision to sell the healthcare business. It said: "This regulatory environment has both increased the fixed cost base of Quantica Healthcare and lengthened the time between registering new workers to being able to supply them to a client".

Shropshire-based Advantage, privately-owned, was formerly BUPA Healthcare Professionals.

Quantica Healthcare's 11 branches will also remain fully operational, "and will complement Advantage Healthcare's 26 branches across the UK".

Meantime, Quantica is cancelling its Main Listing on the London Stock Exchange and will move to the Alternative Investment Market. Companies including Penna Consulting and Lorien have made the same move in recent months.