What ABL Health does

ABL Health is a UK-based community healthcare services provider founded in 2009 and headquartered in Farnworth, Bolton. The company delivers integrated wellbeing and lifestyle intervention services — including smoking cessation, weight management, alcohol reduction, mental health support, children's mental health, cancer prehabilitation, Type 2 diabetes remission programmes, and criminal justice patient engagement — through commissioned contracts with NHS England, Integrated Care Boards, and local authorities. Services are delivered free at point of use across more than 20 health and social care systems in England, supported by a multidisciplinary workforce combining clinical professionals, behavioral specialists, and people with lived experience.

The company's core service model is built on two proprietary methodologies: the 'My Story' person-centred assessment approach, in which members share their complete life story to enable coordinated multi-issue support plans that eliminate fragmented referrals, and the Com-B evidence-based behavior change model. ABL operates approximately 20 regional sub-brands (e.g., Your Health Oldham, Be U Support, Smoke Free Sefton) and has developed the Stubit mobile stop smoking application on iOS and Android. The company holds CQC registration, Cyber Essentials accreditation, Investors in People status, and GDPR compliance certification.

ABL Health operates a managed services revenue model, generating income exclusively through public sector commissioning contracts rather than direct consumer payments. It secures work by bidding on NHS and local authority tenders, leveraging 15+ years of outcomes data (including 1M+ annual engagements and demonstrated quit rates three times the national average) to win regional contracts. The company is privately held and founder-led, with CEO Denise Leslie actively involved, and has expanded organically from a single Tier 3 weight management service in 2010 to a national multi-vertical provider across smoking cessation, mental health, and prison healthcare.

Name

ABL Health

Legal name

ABL Health Ltd

Website

https://ablhealth.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2009

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

ABL Health is a UK-based community healthcare services provider delivering integrated wellbeing programmes — smoking cessation, weight management, mental health, and lifestyle interventions — through NHS and local authority contracts across 20+ health systems, reaching 1M+ engagements annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Healthcare Services

NAICS

Health Care and Social Assistance (62), Social Assistance (624)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Behavioral Health & Substance Use Public Health Programs (BPAIAJAK)

akta.pro secondary industries

Health Equity, Access & Social Determinants Programs (BPAIAJAO), Maternal, Child & Adolescent Health Administration (BPAIAJAJ)

Keywords

• Community healthcare services
• Smoking cessation programmes
• Weight management services
• Public health commissioning
• Integrated wellbeing support

Headquarters

HQ city

Bolton

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Sector Commissioning: ABL Health operates as a commissioned healthcare provider, securing contracts with NHS England, Integrated Care Boards, and local authorities to deliver community health and wellbeing services. Revenue is generated through government/public sector contracts rather than direct consumer payments. Services are free at point of use for members.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

ABL Health is a commissioned provider of community-driven healthcare and wellbeing services across the North of England and beyond, delivering NHS and local authority-funded programmes including stop smoking support, weight management, alcohol reduction, mental wellbeing for children and young people, Type 2 diabetes low-calorie diet programmes, cancer prehabilitation, and criminal justice patient engagement in prisons and immigration removal centres. Services are free at point of use for members, funded through public sector contracts, and delivered via in-person community sessions, remote channels, and the Stubit mobile application.

Product overview

ABL Health operates as a community-driven healthcare services provider offering a portfolio of interconnected wellbeing services. The core offering centres on Integrated Wellbeing Services combining smoking cessation, weight management, alcohol reduction, mental health support, and healthy eating interventions delivered through the proprietary 'My Story' person-centred approach. Additional specialist services include Intensive Personalised Support (IPS) for children on the edge of care, Be U mental health services for young people, Criminal Justice Patient Engagement in secure settings, the Low-Calorie Diet Programme for Type 2 diabetes, Cancer Prehab, and School Brokerage. The company also offers Stubit, a mobile stop smoking application available on iOS and Android. Regional branded services include Your Health Oldham, Your Health Notts, Your Health Bolton, Your Health Dudley, Your Health Torbay, and Your Health Stockport.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Your Health Oldham: Integrated wellbeing service covering Oldham region including stop smoking, weight management, and lifestyle support.
• Your Health Notts
• Your Health Bolton
• Your Health Dudley
• Your Health Torbay
• Your Health Stockport
• Your Health Sandwell
• Smoke Free Sefton
• Smoke Free Sandwell
• Smoke Free County Durham
• ABL Wirral
• Be U Support
• Be U North Yorkshire
• Be U Swindon
• HLS Glos
• Intensive Personalised Support (IPS)
• Stubit
• Sunderland Stop Smoking Service
• Smoke Free Solihull
• Your Health North Lincs

Products and services

• Integrated Wellbeing Services Combined lifestyle services covering smoking, weight, physical activity, alcohol, mental wellbeing and healthy eating, underpinned by the 'My Story' person-centred approach, commissioned by NHS Integrated Care Boards and local authorities.
• Stop Smoking Services Award-winning smoking cessation services helping approximately 8,000 people quit smoking annually with a 65% quit rate, recognised as the number one service nationally in October 2021. Delivered across Wirral, Sefton, Sandwell, County Durham, Bolton, Nottinghamshire, and other commissioned regions.
• Managing Weight (Tier 2 and Tier 3 Weight Management) Tier 2 and Tier 3 local authority and Public Health England-funded weight management programmes available for adults, families, and children, including specialist Bariatric information sessions across Greater Manchester.
• Reduce Alcohol Services

Quantifiable outcome

• 8,000 people helped to quit smoking annually with 65% quit rate
• +6 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• NHS England Health and JusticecoreOthers · 1 January 2022Commissioned to conduct patient engagement activities across secure settings (prisons and IRCs) nationwide, including Southeast England region
• Greater Manchester Integrated Care BoardcoreOthersCommissioned provider of integrated wellbeing and stop smoking services across Greater Manchester region
• Nottingham ICBcoreOthersCommissioned to deliver low-calorie diet programme and integrated wellbeing services in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
• Nottinghamshire County CouncilcoreOthersCommissioned partner for integrated wellbeing services and community health programmes
• Oldham CouncilcoreOthersCommissioned for stop smoking, weight management, and schools brokerage services in Oldham
• Sefton CouncilcoreOthersCommissioned for award-winning Smoke-Free Sefton stop smoking service (ranked 3rd nationally)
• Wirral CouncilcoreOthersCommissioned for Wirral Stop Smoking Service, ranked #1 in England in 2021
• Sandwell CouncilcoreOthersCommissioned for smoking cessation support services in Sandwell
• Durham County CouncilcoreOthersCommissioned for stop smoking services in County Durham
• Stockport CouncilcoreOthersCommissioned for integrated wellbeing and weight management services
• NECS (North of England Commissioning Support)supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnership for prisoner involvement in healthcare procurement projects, providing commissioning support and training
• Nottingham UniversitysupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAcademic partnership for Cancer Prehab service delivery
• Anna Freud Centre (Thrive Model)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerBe U services delivered in line with Anna Freud Centre's Thrive Model for children's mental health

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Connect Health: Connect Health is the UK's largest provider of community MSK (musculoskeletal) and mental health physiotherapy services, commissioned by the NHS. It is a broader incumbent in the community healthcare space with overlapping commissioning relationships and a similar public-sector-only model.
• Practice Plus Group: Practice Plus Group delivers NHS-commissioned healthcare including primary care, urgent care, and community health services across the UK. While broader in scope, it competes for some of the same ICB-level contracts that ABL targets.
• Ingeus UK: Ingeus delivers employment, health, and wellbeing services commissioned by local authorities and the NHS across the UK, including lifestyle intervention programmes. It is a broader incumbent operating in adjacent public health and wellbeing verticals.
• Maximus UK: Maximus is a global provider of health and employment services operating in the UK under NHS and DWP contracts, including health assessments and wellbeing programmes. It is a broader incumbent that competes for some public health and lifestyle commissioning contracts.
• Totally plc: Totally plc is a UK-based provider of NHS-commissioned urgent care, planned care, and community health services across multiple regions. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with ABL in the community healthcare services space but operates at larger scale and with a wider service portfolio.

Emerging players

• OneMedical Group: OneMedical Group delivers NHS-commissioned primary care, urgent care, and community health services across the UK. It is an emerging player in the commissioned community healthcare space, with overlapping service lines and customer segments compared to ABL.
• Preventx: Preventx is a specialist UK provider of remote sexual health and STI testing services commissioned by local authorities. It is an emerging/specialist player in a related public health commissioning vertical that intersects with ABL's lifestyle and wellbeing portfolio.

Direct peers

• HCRG Care Group: HCRG Care Group (formerly Virgin Care) is one of the largest independent providers of NHS-commissioned community health and wellbeing services in the UK. It delivers integrated health, social care, and public health services to ICBs and local authorities — directly overlapping with ABL's commissioned service model and target customers.
• Reed Wellbeing: Reed Wellbeing (part of Reed in Partnership) delivers NHS-commissioned stop smoking, weight management, and health improvement services across the UK. It is a directly comparable commissioned provider competing for many of the same local authority contracts as ABL.
• Solutions4Health: Solutions4Health provides commissioned public health services in the UK including stop smoking, weight management, sexual health, and wellbeing programmes. It is a regional direct peer competing with ABL for local authority public health contracts.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ABLHealth
• Facebookfacebook.com/ABLHealth
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/abl-health

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ABL Health