A STOCKSFIELD company has expanded its sphere of influence from East Tynedale to the Far East.

Healthcare training specialist Annie Barr International has continued its overseas expansion through a series of partnerships and training courses delivered in China and Hong Kong.

Accredited by the Royal College of General Practitioners, the company provides training for healthcare professionals in elderly care and primary and secondary care.

Annie Barr said: “We are dedicated to providing overseas markets with the best of the UK’s expertise, strengthening healthcare delivery and patient care across the globe.

“China offers huge opportunities for us as they have very little primary care structures and need a lot of support and expertise to get the most out of the healthcare resources available to them.

“The support and advice we have received from the Department for International Trade has been invaluable.

“Having a local international trade adviser, backed up by all the expertise in London, including Healthcare UK, has been instrumental to our success.

“I am passionate about improving care, both here and overseas, and our high quality training, delivered through a network of experts, supports this.”

International trade adviser for the Department for International Trade John Doolan said: “Annie Barr International shows that determination and a passion for improvement can bring incredible overseas returns.

“Sharing their expertise and experience of revolutionising healthcare practices has proved irresistible to markets such as China.”

The company, whose head office is in Bearl Farm, Stocksfield, has trained thousands of healthcare professionals across three continents.

And its UK branch is also growing, with new online training and apprenticeships.

Annie said: “We are growing both domestically and internationally. In both cases, we are investing in our people and making sure that as well as offering the best possible training and service, they also feel valued and empowered.”