AN infection control company based in Bolton has began a new venture in its takeover of a global surgical equipment provider.

Infection control and prevention specialist, Vernacare, has acquired Robinson Healthcare for an undisclosed sum.

Robinson Healthcare, which currently employs 208 people, is the owner of the UK’s market-leading, single-use surgical instrument brand - Instrapac.

The acquisition continues Vernacare's 'buy and build' strategy and increases the group's turnover to £120m annually.

Robinson Healthcare manufactures single-use sterile devices, veterinary medicinal products, wet wipes, long term aural implantable ventilation tubes and cotton-based medical absorbents.

Robinson Healthcare’s UK manufacturing sites are located in Nottinghamshire, Somerset and Anhui province, China.

Robinson Healthcare has clean-room packing and production capability, highly automated wipes production and fluid mixing facilities, injection moulding and metal working capabilities and extensive, cotton-based medical absorbent production facilities.

Originally based in Chesterfield, Robinson Healthcare was founded in 1839 and moved into the production of surgical dressings in the 1850s as a result of the demands created by The Crimean War.

The Animalintex brand of veterinary medicinal products was launched in the 1930s, and continues to be the global market-leading veterinary medicinal poultice for equine application.

James Steele, Vernacare chief executive, said: "Robinson Healthcare and Vernacare are complementary businesses with their respective focus on the manufacture of single-use disposable medical products within the infection prevention and surgical space.

"The company's international reach will help to build Robinson Healthcare further and continue to realise the vision set by the team at Robinson Healthcare."

Last month, the medical equipment manufacturer played a leading role in the roll-out of the Covid-19 vaccination.

The firm is providing the specialist needles needed to deliver the jab and together with healthcare firm Hospidex NV delivered a 100 million 'low dead space needles' to Germany.

Early on in the pandemic it worked round-the-clock to provide hospitals with the infection control products needed.