Ethel

What Ethel does

Ethel, operated by Connected Care Solutions Ltd., is a UK-based Virtual Care-at-Home platform founded in 2013 in Lisburn, Northern Ireland. The platform serves vulnerable individuals living independently at home (with a disclosed average user age of 86), alongside the local authorities, NHS trusts and care providers responsible for their care. Ethel targets the structural pressure points of UK adult social care — rising demand against static budgets, overstretched workforces, and reactive crisis-driven care — by enabling earlier intervention and extending the productive capacity of each care worker.

The platform combines proprietary hardware with a connected software stack. Hardware includes the Ethel Hub (a 15.5-inch always-on touchscreen designed for users with no computer experience, supporting 8 languages), Ethel Sense (PIR, contact, temperature and smart-plug sensors enabling passive activity monitoring without cameras or wearables), Ethel Meds (smart medication box with two-factor confirmation), and the Ethel Smart Band (wearable vitals tracker). The software layer comprises the Carer Dashboard for care teams, the iOS/Android Carer App for mobile workers and family, the Living Patterns analytics module, the proprietary 12-question CAHWI-12 wellness index, and clinical Care Pathways including Braden and NEWS2 assessments. Anomaly detection flags changes in daily routines before crisis point.

Ethel operates a B2B sales-led go-to-market, targeting UK local authorities and NHS trusts through formal commissioning and procurement relationships, with a 'Book a Meeting' workflow segmented by buyer type (Commissioner, Care Provider, Front Line Staff). Revenue derives from platform subscriptions priced below £3 per service user per day, supplemented by hardware sales. The company is founder-owned and bootstrapped with no disclosed institutional investment, operates with a 1-10 person team, and has established contracted deployments across at least seven UK councils/NHS bodies (Telford & Wrekin, Cumberland, Dumfries & Galloway, Bridgend, Sheffield, Swindon, NHS D&G), with documented customer outcomes including £100K projected annual savings for Cumberland Council across 37 service users.

Name

Ethel

Legal name

Connected Care Solutions Ltd.

Website

https://ethelcare.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2014

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Ethel, operated by Connected Care Solutions Ltd., is a UK Virtual Care-at-Home platform combining a touchscreen hub, passive sensors and analytics software to monitor vulnerable elderly individuals living independently, sold primarily via subscription to local authorities, NHS trusts and care providers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Virtual Care-at-Home Platform

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (624120)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082)

akta.pro primary industry

Elderly/Frail & Assisted Living Connected Care (PERS/Fall Detection) (HLACAFAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

AI/Analytics for RPM (Risk Stratification, Alerts, Predictive) (HLACAFAM), Care Pathway Automation & Patient Engagement for RPM (Coaching, Messaging, Scheduling) (HLACAPAM), Virtual Nursing, Telemonitoring & Command Center Platforms (HLACAFAH), Geriatric, Frailty & Fall-Prevention Remote Monitoring (HLALAFAI)

Keywords

• Virtual care platform
• Remote patient monitoring
• Assistive technology
• Digital health solutions
• Social care software

Headquarters

HQ city

Lisburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Platform Subscription: Virtual Care-at-Home platform subscription model operating at less than £3 per day for service users in council programs
2. Hardware Sales: Sale of Ethel Hub devices, Ethel Sense sensor kits, Ethel Meds smart medication boxes, and Ethel Smart Bands

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Ethel is a Virtual Care-at-Home Platform that combines hardware (Ethel Hub touchscreen device, Ethel Sense passive sensors, Ethel Meds smart medication box, Ethel Smart Band) with a cloud-based software platform including the Ethel Carer Dashboard, Ethel Carer App, Ethel Living Patterns analytics, and the CAHWI-12 deterioration tracking tool. It enables UK local authorities, NHS trusts, and care providers to deliver continuous remote monitoring, early warning deterioration alerts, medication management, and virtual care visits to vulnerable individuals living independently at home.

Product overview

Ethel is a unified Virtual Care-at-Home Platform that connects vulnerable individuals living alone with their families and care teams. The platform integrates the Ethel Hub touchscreen device as the central interface, supplemented by Ethel Sense home monitoring sensors, Ethel Smart Band for vital signs, and Ethel Meds smart medication box. The software stack includes the Ethel Carer Dashboard (web), Ethel Carer App (mobile), Ethel Living Patterns analytics module, CAHWI-12 deterioration tracking tool, and Ethel Care Pathways clinical assessment tools. All components share a common data layer enabling continuous monitoring, early warning alerts, and coordinated virtual care delivery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Ethel Hub An always-on 15.5-inch touchscreen device designed for vulnerable people living independently, enabling one-touch video calls to family and care teams, medication reminders, messaging, TV mirroring, and 8-language support. Requires no computer experience.
• Ethel Sense A smart kit of home sensors including PIR motion sensors, contact/open sensors, smart plugs, and temperature sensors providing real-time updates and alerts on daily activity patterns without cameras or wearables.
• Ethel Carer Dashboard Web-based dashboard providing care teams, social workers, AHPs, care coordinators, and clinical staff simultaneous visibility across all clients, displaying alerts, wellness trends, and compliance from a single screen for virtual management.
• Ethel Carer App Mobile application for iOS and Android enabling care workers and family members to conduct virtual care visits, monitor sensor activity, access digital care notes, and receive care reminders on the go.
• Ethel Living Patterns Analytics feature that builds objective, continuous pictures of how individuals manage at home using sensor data and the Functional Effort Index, with plain English AI summaries and anomaly detection purpose-built for hospital-to-home and reablement pathways.
• CAHWI-12 (Care at Home Wellness Index) A 12-question functional deterioration tracking tool covering mobility, nutrition, hydration, cognition, mood, breathing, sleep, falls risk, pain, and social engagement, completed weekly in approximately 4 minutes and integrated into the dashboard and mobile app.
• Ethel Meds A smart medication storage box with integrated sensor creating a two-factor confirmation loop — the Ethel Hub displays and speaks medication reminders while the sensor confirms box opening, with a buzzer for additional prompting for users needing extra support.
• Ethel Smart Band A wearable vital signs monitoring device tracking step count, heart rate, and sleep time automatically, pairing with the Ethel Hub to sync data and chart vitals trends including NEWS2 scoring to spot patterns of decline.

Quantifiable outcome

• Reduces hospital admissions through early intervention before crisis point
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers8 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• CareiumcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 December 2023Partnership with Careium for Cumberland Council reablement and virtual care support, transforming care delivery since December 2023 with 37 service users benefiting from the combined solution

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• Alcuris: UK care technology startup providing sensor-based proactive monitoring (Memo Hub, Alcuris Connect) for elderly and vulnerable people living at home. Directly comparable hardware-plus-analytics approach to Ethel's Hub and Sense products, and similar UK council/NHS customer base.
• Current Health (Best Buy Health): Originally a UK-founded remote patient monitoring platform (now part of Best Buy Health) providing continuous vital sign monitoring and virtual care for hospital-at-home and chronic conditions. Comparable in continuous RPM and AI analytics, though more acute-care focused than Ethel's social/elderly care focus.
• CarePredict: US-based AI-powered wearable and activity monitoring platform for older adults, using continuous data to predict health decline. Comparable in continuous-monitoring AI analytics for elderly, though US-focused and wearable-led rather than touchscreen/sensor-led like Ethel.
• Buddi: UK-based wearable personal alarm and GPS tracking technology for vulnerable people and the elderly. Comparable in elderly care technology focus and UK market, though Buddi emphasises wearables whereas Ethel emphasises a touchscreen hub with passive sensors.
• Doccla: UK virtual care / hospital-at-home platform providing remote patient monitoring and virtual wards to NHS trusts. Comparable in remote monitoring technology, NHS customer base, and virtual care delivery model, though more focused on acute/post-acute rather than social/elderly care.

Broad incumbents

• Careium: Sweden-headquartered (formerly Doro Care) technology-enabled care company providing telecare, mobile safety alarms, and digital care platforms across Europe. Careium is already Ethel's partnership partner for the Cumberland programme, indicating overlap in target market and product category. Broader incumbent with wider European footprint.
• Cera Care: UK home care provider using technology-enabled care delivery for elderly clients, combining care services with digital monitoring. Comparable in tech-enabled home care model and UK social care focus, though Cera is primarily a care agency with embedded technology rather than a pure platform vendor.
• Legrand Care (Tynetec, Aidcall): Legrand's UK care division (Tynetec, Aidcall) supplies telecare, personal alarms, and assisted living technology to local authorities and housing associations. Directly comparable in UK TEC market with sensor-based monitoring products targeting elderly independent living.

Direct peers

• Tunstall Healthcare: UK-based incumbent technology-enabled care provider offering telecare, telehealth, and connected care solutions to local authorities and housing associations. Directly comparable to Ethel in target customer (UK councils, NHS), product category (remote monitoring/connected care platforms), and go-to-market (public sector commissioning).
• Appello (now part of the Appello Group): UK provider of digital telecare, warden call, and connected care solutions to housing associations and local authorities. Directly comparable in UK TEC market, sensor-based monitoring, and council commissioning model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ethelsmarthub
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ethel-care

Compliance4 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 Ethel