More than 100 jobs created county-wide

(Date of issue: Friday, 1 May 2009)

A North-East company who set up a base in Carlisle last year has created more than 100 jobs for local workers.

Neuro Partners, a business that specialises in brain injury treatment, opened for business in the city in November 2007 with one member of staff, following support from Carlisle City Council and Invest in Cumbria.

Based in Bourne House, Milbourne Street, Neuro Partners now employs 105 people county-wide, 30 of which are based in Carlisle alone. They have further plans for expansion and the City Council and Invest in Cumbria will continue to provide their support to help them make this a reality, with developments set to double the current numbers in the next 12 months.

Carlisle City Cllr Marilyn Bowman, Portfolio holder for Economic Development and Enterprise, said:

“Before they set up their base in Carlisle, many patients had to travel considerable distances to get treatment. Our officers helped them find premises, supported recruitment - including organising a recruitment fair - and also helped them get in touch with key local contacts. Their hard efforts have proved so successful that they Neuro Partners are now looking to expand their business. During these hard economic times, this a great success story for Carlisle and the county.”

Graham McWilliam, Invest in Cumbria added:

"The arrival of Neuro Partners to Carlisle is first and foremost of huge healthcare benefit to Cumbria's residents. Of course securing its location here is a major economic bonus for the County and by assisting it in doing so we have seen the first significant investment into the area by a health organisation for some time.

“This is a real illustration of how Cumbria can be the location of choice for new and expanding business organisations and sectors. We are proud to have been involved in working with Neuro Partners to employ more than 100 people from across the county - a substantial example of job creation. We are looking forward to helping the company again over the coming year in their aim to recruit a further 100 employees from our area."

Jonathon Wade, Managing Director of Neuro Partners is pleased with the support his business has been provided, he said:

“We have been overwhelmed with the support provided by both Carlisle City Council and Invest In Cumbria. Their local expertise was crucial when we were thinking of setting up our office in Carlisle and they have directly supported recruitment campaigns to ensure we have the right people to deliver our services.

“Since we opened in Carlisle, in addition to employing 105 local people, we have also provided therapy and rehabilitation based support to more than 50 service users to date, many of whom were not able to engage with their local community or live independent lives without specialist provision such as Neuro Partners’ provides.

“We could not have had, and have never received anywhere, better support from a council or development agency, and this was the key reason for establishing in Carlisle and in the success of Neuro Partners to date in Cumbria, for which we are very grateful indeed.”

The 105 jobs created include Rehabilitation Support Workers, Assistant Psychologists, Physiotherapists, Occupational Therapists, Nurses and Administrators, all of whom are local people to Cumbria.