Leeds-based Maria Mallaband Care Group (MMCG) is one of the UK’s largest independent care providers. The business employs over 5,000 staff, houses nearly 4,000 residents at around 85 homes across the country and boasts an annual turnover of £180m.
MMCG was founded during 1996 by Phil Burgan, a former pharmacist, who named it after his grandmother and remains its chief executive officer. The organisation now provides day, elderly mentally infirm, dementia, disability, palliative, nursing, and residential care, plus respite breaks. While some care companies have struggled in recent years, MMCG has continued growing, maintaining its policy of acquiring existing homes and building new ones. The group’s ethos includes that happiness and well-being affect health as much as high-quality physical care, so its continued significant investment in developing services for residents embraces areas such as activities and events programmes, community involvement and dining experiences, in addition to relevant staff training.
The Relationship
MMCG became a JTM customer during 2013, when a key contact, with whom the group had dealt over the provision, maintenance and repair of commercial laundry and dishwashing equipment for several years, moved to that supplier from a rival company.
JTM has been the customer’s sole provider since then and at the time of writing, in early 2019, had supplied washing machines, tumble dryers and dishwashers for all MMCG sites bar the one in Jersey. JTM recommends suitable equipment to the customer, from brands such as Miele and Girbau, based on individual site needs.
MMCG retains some additional machines, acquired when it bought 33 homes from Southern Cross Healthcare, which eventually became insolvent, in 2011, before returning these sites to profitability.
Even in these cases, however, JTM has long been responsible for the appliances’ repair and maintenance – the company has fast access to over 350,000 relevant parts and boasts an enviable 94.6 per cent first-time fix rate – and is replacing this equipment for MMCG as it becomes inoperable.
Additional services JTM provides to the customer include designing the laundry rooms at all sites the group opens – its next new-build home is due to begin operating in Exeter during the first half of 2019. The supplier also maintains an asset register for all MMCG’s laundry and dishwashing machines, so it can advise the group when a maintenance visit is due, for example.
What the client says
James Burgan, Commercial Director, MMCG, says: “I’m entirely happy with my relationship with JTM, which has always been good. They’ve got the right values and are nice people to work with. The relationship came through one individual, but I happily deal with other key people at JTM now too.
“There are bound to be occasional issues with the appliances, so it’s JTM’s responses that really count and they’re always impressive in that respect. Their engineers’ extensive technical knowledge also means they can mainly fix problems there and then, but if that’s not possible, they’re quick with estimates and in obtaining parts and communicate well with us over these matters, which is all you can ask.
“JTM’s knowledge of the care home sector is also good. They’re very careful in and around the homes, know how to conduct themselves and respect residents’ privacy.
“I’d have no hesitation in recommending JTM to other businesses, including other care home providers.”
