Pre-tax profits have more than doubled to over £35m at Warrington-headquartered healthcare property developer Assura, with chief executive Graham Roberts saying the business is "well-placed" to meet the demand for high-quality GP space.

According to its results for the six months ending 30 September 2015, Assura's pre-tax profits have jumped by 11 per cent to £35.4m. Underlying profits from continuing operations have increased by 79 per cent to £11.3m over the same period.

The company's bottom line was boosted by a 27 per cent rise in net rental income for the six months ending £28.1m.

During the period, Assura completed the acquisition of 36 properties for a total of £65m. And the overall value of its investment property increased by £100m to just over £1bn.

After the end of the reporting period, Assura completed a £300m equity raise that generated £300m to fund the near-term pipeline of acquisitions valued at £126m and repay £181m of long-term fixed-rate debt giving the group flexibility for further growth.

Graham Roberts, chief executive of Assura, said: "The need for increased investment in high-quality GP space is immediate: there has been years of underinvestment in the primary care market, and in a recent survey 40 per cent of GPs considered their premises to be inadequate for their services.

"The need for increased investment is also growing fast: in 25 years' time the population of those over 75 years old is set to have increased by 90 per cent, and GPs will play a critical role in managing the health needs of this ageing population.  Assura, as the leader in the sector, is well-placed to help meet this demand."