International expansion into Australia, Canada and the Middle East has helped Healthcare Locums increase revenue by 5% in its final results for the year ended 31 December 2009.

The group opened new offices in Australia, Canada and the Middle East and the company says its US operation continues to expand successfully.

Its results show that:

·     Revenue rose by 5% to £172.1m (2008 : £164.5m)

·     Operating profit was £19.7m, up 18% to (2008 : £16.7m)

·     Profit before tax increased by 27% to £17.7m (2008 : £13.9m)

·     Net debt declined by £17.3m (2008: £26.9m)

Kate Bleasdale, executive vice chairman, says: “We are very pleased with these results, which once again demonstrate the continued success of our strategy of pursuing organic growth in the UK, and international expansion. In the UK we continue to benefit from rising NHS demand for our cost efficient staffing services. Our investment in international recruitment is bearing fruit delivering a strong pipeline of candidates, and significant contract wins during 2009 will benefit 2010 and beyond. The database of international candidates has increased from 4,500 in 2008 to over 12,500 by the end of 2009. We have adopted a more prudent accounting policy to reflect the longer term income generation associated with this growth, particularly now that the US healthcare reform bill has been passed and demand from this market increases significantly. We have positioned our business as a worldwide operator in the specialist health and social care markets.”