Refero
Refero is a UK-based software provider of a video and voice consultation platform for NHS and public sector healthcare, built by Cinos in 2017. It integrates with Microsoft Teams and PAS/EPR clinical systems to deliver patient consultations and MDT sessions for NHS Trusts.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2017
- HeadquartersManchester, United Kingdom
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingSoftware
What Refero does
Refero is a UK-based software provider of a video and voice consultation platform purpose-built for public sector healthcare, founded in 2017 as a sister company of Cinos. The platform enables NHS clinicians to conduct patient video consultations and Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) sessions supporting up to 50 participants per call (scalable to 200), allows participants to be added mid-call, and supports two-way post-consultation communications with templated follow-up questions. Core integrations include Microsoft Teams and clinical systems of record such as PAS/EPR, with clinic-level reporting feeding into existing BI tools to avoid duplicate data entry.
The company is headquartered in Manchester and operates exclusively in the United Kingdom, targeting NHS Trusts and adjacent public-sector verticals including primary care, secondary care, social care, mental health, and higher education student health. Refero is led by Dan Worman (Managing Director of Refero and Executive Director of Cinos) and operates with a headcount of 1–10. The go-to-market is enterprise direct sales to NHS organisations, transacted through Cinos's established UK public sector procurement framework agreements, positioning Refero as a turnkey layer on top of Cinos's connectivity and infrastructure services.
Revenue is generated through subscription-based managed services for the video consultation platform. Pricing is not publicly disclosed and is handled on a quote basis via government frameworks. The only named customer is St Helens and Knowsley Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, where Refero has been rolled out across Stroke Review, Frailty, Speech and Language, Burns & Plastics, Breast Reconstruction, and Gastroenterology service lines. There are no disclosed funding rounds, independent investors, or standalone financials — Refero functions as a strategic subsidiary of Cinos rather than an independently capitalized venture.
Refero firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Refero
- Legal name
- Refero
- Website
- https://refero.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2017
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Refero is a UK-based software provider of a video and voice consultation platform for NHS and public sector healthcare, built by Cinos in 2017. It integrates with Microsoft Teams and PAS/EPR clinical systems to deliver patient consultations and MDT sessions for NHS Trusts.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Refero industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Healthcare Video Consultation Software
- NAICS
- Computer Systems Design and Related Services (54151), Computing Infrastructure Providers, Data Processing, Web Hosting, and Related Services (518)
- SIC
- Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Computer Programming, Data Processing, Etc. (7370)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Care Team Collaboration, Secure Messaging & Clinical Communication within EHR (HLACAAAK)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Care Coordination, Referral Management & Transitions-of-Care Pathways (HLACAGAL), Patient Engagement, Education & Messaging Platforms (portal/CRM integrated) (HLALABAJ), Omnichannel Patient Communications & Contact Center (Voice/SMS/Email/Chat) (HLACAEAC)
Keywords
Where Refero is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Manchester
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Markets served
Refero business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Software
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations
Revenue model
- Healthcare Video Consultation Platform: Refero generates revenue through subscription-based managed services providing video consultation and engagement platform to NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations. The platform is procured through government frameworks.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels2 records
Refero product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Refero provides a video and voice engagement platform for public services, enabling NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations to conduct patient video consultations and Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) sessions remotely. The platform integrates with Microsoft Teams and clinical record systems (PAS/EPR), supports up to 50 participants per call (scalable to 200), and is sold as a managed service via UK government procurement frameworks, working alongside its parent company Cinos to deliver a turnkey end-to-end communications solution.
Product overview
Refero is a unified video and voice consultation platform for public services, launched as a sister company to Cinos in 2017. The platform enables healthcare organisations to conduct patient video consultations and Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) sessions with up to 50 participants (scalable to 200), supports two-way communications with templated follow-up questions, and integrates with Microsoft Teams and clinical systems of record (PAS/EPR). Refero works alongside Cinos's Managed MDT Service and underlying connectivity/infrastructure solutions to provide NHS trusts with a complete end-to-end turnkey solution.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Refero Video Consultation Platform A unified video and voice consultation platform for public services, enabling healthcare organisations to conduct patient video consultations and Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) sessions with up to 50 participants (scalable to 200), supporting two-way post-consultation communications with templated follow-up questions, and integrating with Microsoft Teams and clinical systems of record (PAS/EPR). Sold as a managed service to NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations.
Quantifiable outcome
- 60% reduction in did not attends (25% to 10%) in Stroke Review Service within six months
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Refero
Customer profileNamed customers1 record
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Refero technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Refero partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- Microsoft TeamscoreRefero has full integration capability with Microsoft Teams, giving healthcare providers access to their teleconsultation platform through a familiar interface where it can be fully embedded for handling video calls and responding to messages.
Scale indicators1 record
Recent moves4 records
Expansion highlights3 records
Refero competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare): Microsoft Teams is the underlying collaboration stack Refero integrates with and offers a competing cloud-based video consultation experience within its Cloud for Healthcare suite. As an incumbent, Microsoft can subsume parts of Refero's functionality if it deepens its own NHS video consultation and EPR integrations.
- Babylon Health (now eMed): Well-funded UK-founded telehealth and AI-triage provider that served NHS through GP at Hand. Comparable NHS telehealth footprint and brand recognition, though materially larger and broader in scope than Refero's secondary-care MDT focus.
- Livi (formerly Kry): Major European digital-health/telehealth provider with significant UK NHS operations delivering GP video consultations via NHS框架 contracts. Comparable in NHS primary-care telehealth delivery, though broader in scope (patient-facing app) than Refero's B2B trust-deployment model.
Direct peers
- Accurx: UK-based NHS-focused patient communication and triage platform that enables two-way SMS, video, and online consultation flows between GP practices, secondary care, and patients. Direct overlap with Refero in NHS patient engagement, though Accurx's primary wedge is primary care messaging rather than MDT video for secondary care.
- DrDoctor: UK hospital-patient communication platform that handles appointment booking, video consultations, and patient engagement for NHS secondary-care trusts. Direct competitor within the same NHS video and patient communication category, similarly integrated with EPR workflows.
- Attend Anywhere: NHS-endorsed video consultation platform widely deployed across UK trusts for outpatient video appointments and MDT coordination. Closest direct competitor to Refero on the core NHS video consultation and MDT use case, with comparable scale ambitions across NHS trusts.
Emerging players
- Doccla: UK virtual-ward platform delivering remote patient monitoring and video consultations for NHS trusts across multiple pathways (respiratory, cardiac, post-surgical). Comparable to Refero in NHS secondary care delivery and outcome focus, though Doccla concentrates on virtual wards rather than MDT video consultation.
- Patients Know Best: UK patient portal and personal health record platform integrated with NHS EPR systems, enabling patient-clinician two-way communication and care planning. Comparable to Refero in NHS EPR-integrated patient engagement, though focused on records rather than synchronous video consultation.
- eConsult (now Lilli.ai / eConsult Health): NHS triage and online consultation platform originally built for GP practices and expanding into secondary care virtual consultation. Comparable to Refero in targeting NHS digital-first pathways, with overlap on two-way patient-clinician communication and triage.
Others
- Cinos (parent company): Parent company and infrastructure/connectivity provider for Refero, delivering the underlying managed services, HSCN connectivity, and endpoint technology. Comparable as the foundational layer of Refero's turnkey NHS offering and a distribution route to market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Refero social profiles
Digital presenceRefero financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Refero leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Refero funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Refero M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Refero
What does Refero do?
Refero provides a video and voice engagement platform for public services, enabling NHS Trusts and healthcare organisations to conduct patient video consultations and Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT) sessions remotely. The platform integrates with Microsoft Teams and clinical record systems (PAS/EPR), supports up to 50 participants per call (scalable to 200), and is sold as a managed service via UK government procurement frameworks, working alongside its parent company Cinos to deliver a turnkey end-to-end communications solution.
Is Refero a public or private company?
Refero is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Refero founded?
Refero was founded in 2017. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Refero based?
Refero is headquartered in Manchester, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Refero make money?
One revenue line is on record: healthcare Video Consultation Platform.
Who are Refero's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Microsoft Teams (Microsoft Cloud for Healthcare), Babylon Health (now eMed) and Livi (formerly Kry). Direct peers are Accurx, DrDoctor and Attend Anywhere. Emerging players are Doccla, Patients Know Best and eConsult (now Lilli.ai / eConsult Health). Cinos (parent company) is listed as an others.
Does Refero have an API?
No public API is recorded for Refero.
What industry is Refero in?
Refero's product category is Healthcare Video Consultation Software. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HLACAAAK, Care Team Collaboration, Secure Messaging & Clinical Communication within EHR, with a secondary code of HLACAGAL, Care Coordination, Referral Management & Transitions-of-Care Pathways. Its NAICS code is 54151 and its SIC code is 8000.