An agency for care workers and nurses has received new backing from private equity investors after two years of rapid growth.

Nurse Plus, which is based in Canterbury, has received a “significant investment” from Sovereign Capital as it aims to expand further across the UK.

The deal has given its previous backers Key Capital Partners a profitable exit after investing £6.5m in the company in 2012.

Under their backing, which gave KCP a minority shareholding in the business, the agency grew its turnover from £18m a year to more than £45m and increased its number of employees from 50 to 175.

During that time the number of trained carers on the company’s books increased from 2,200 to 4,000.

It has 35 branches across England, including Ashford, Bromley, Folkestone, Maidstone and two branches in Canterbury, including its head office.

Sovereign has backed the same management team which ran the business with KCP’s financial support, led by chief executive Heath Blake and managing director Pamela Bruce.

The pair both joined Nurse Plus when it was founded in 2005 and each has about 20 years’ experience in the healthcare recruitment sector.

Former Granada chief executive and television presenter Sir Gerry Robinson has joined as chairman while the incumbent chairman, Stewart Rogers, has become a non-executive director. Stuart Cook remains in the business as finance director.

Sir Gerry has significant experience of leading companies through periods of growth, most notably at Granada, alongside healthcare knowledge gained from working with the NHS and dementia care homes.

Sovereign Capital partner Dominic Dalli said: “With an increasing ageing demographic in the UK, there is a great need for high-quality care services within the homes and in establishment settings.

“We have grown the business to a size where it needs someone else to take it to the next stage of development..." - Key Capital Partners' Mike Fell

“We are delighted to be backing Nurse Plus’ proven and successful management team in a sector that we know well to help grow the business further and meet this demand.”

Nurse Plus chief executive Mr Blake said: “We are delighted to be working with the team at Sovereign to help take Nurse Plus to the next stage of its development.

“The quality of our business is fundamental to its success and by working with an investor who understands quality in healthcare, we are excited by the future growth opportunities available to Nurse Plus.”

Key Capital Partners investment partner Mike Fell, whose company has sold its stake in Nurse Plus, said: “We have grown the business to a size where it needs someone else to take it to the next stage of development.

“We invest in fast-growing businesses to a certain point and then sell it to keep it going.”

Debt to support the transaction was provided by Crescent Capital Group.