Head Medical
Head Medical is an Edinburgh-headquartered international medical recruitment agency that places doctors, nurses, theatre practitioners, and dentists into healthcare employers across more than ten countries via specialist divisions and a dedicated registration and immigration advisory team.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2001
- HeadquartersEdinburgh, United Kingdom
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Head Medical does
Head Medical, a trading division of Head Resourcing Ltd (Company No. SC 208 200), is an Edinburgh-headquartered international medical recruitment agency that has placed over 1,800 doctors in cross-border roles since its founding in 2001. The company operates from offices in Edinburgh (headquarters) and Glasgow with a presence in northern England and approximately 55 UK-based employees, delivering permanent, fixed-term, and locum placements of doctors, nurses, theatre practitioners, allied health professionals, and — most recently — dentists into healthcare employers across more than ten countries including Australia, New Zealand, Canada, the UK, Ireland, Singapore, China, the Gulf Region, Bermuda, the Caribbean, and Africa.
The core operating model is a consultative, sales-led recruitment process layered with regulatory and immigration advisory services. Recruiters follow an 11-step workflow from initial candidate contact through to placement and post-arrival support, with specialist divisions covering Theatre (anaesthetics, scrub, recovery, ODPs), Locum Doctors, Nursing (hospital wards), and Allied Health. Supporting the placement transaction, a dedicated Registration and Immigration Team handles medical council registration, licensing, and visa applications; the Head Immigration adjunct and an in-house NZ Immigration Advisers Authority-licensed consultant (Eilidh Angus) handle Australian and New Zealand visa pathways. Technology is deliberately off-the-shelf: Firefish for the candidate database and CRM, Pulsant and Mimecast for email delivery, and Google Analytics for web measurement, supplemented by a candidate portal, job-alert email system, country-specific SEO landing pages, and Making the Move webinars.
Revenue is generated on a transaction-fee basis through placement fees charged to healthcare employer clients for permanent and contract placements, augmented by professional-services revenue from the immigration and registration support team. Head Medical holds an unusually dense stack of jurisdictional licenses and framework approvals for a sub-100-person firm — including Ontario Ministry of Labour, Western Australia, NZ Immigration Advisers Authority, Crown Commercial Service, NHS Scotland, HSE Ireland, ISO 9001, REC, and RCSA memberships — and operates as a privately held, independent business with no disclosed external investors, parent company, or institutional ownership.
Head Medical firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Head Medical
- Legal name
- Head Resourcing Ltd
- Website
- https://headmedical.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2001
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Head Medical is an Edinburgh-headquartered international medical recruitment agency that places doctors, nurses, theatre practitioners, and dentists into healthcare employers across more than ten countries via specialist divisions and a dedicated registration and immigration advisory team.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Head Medical industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Medical Recruitment Services
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Health Services (8000)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Healthcare Clinical & Allied Health Staffing (BPACADAJ)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Healthcare Clinical Direct Hire (Nursing/Allied/Physicians) (BPACAFAH)
Keywords
Where Head Medical is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Edinburgh
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices2 records
Markets served
Head Medical business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Placement Services: The company operates as an employment business and employment agency supplying contract and permanent medical staff to healthcare facilities globally. Revenue is generated through placement fees charged to employer clients for successful candidate placements.
- Immigration and Registration Services: Dedicated Registration and Immigration Team provides support services for medical registration and visa applications on behalf of candidates and employers, supporting the core placement service.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels6 records
Head Medical product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Head Medical is an international medical recruitment agency that places doctors, nurses, theatre practitioners, dentists, and allied health professionals into permanent, fixed-term, and locum positions across more than 10 countries. The company operates through dedicated specialty divisions (Theatre Division, Locum Doctors, Nursing Division, Dentist Recruitment) and provides end-to-end support including job matching, medical registration and licensing assistance, visa/immigration advisory, and ongoing post-placement support via a structured 11-step process.
Product overview
Head Medical is a medical recruitment services firm, not a software product company. The core offering is a job placement and recruitment service connecting medical professionals (doctors, nurses, theatre practitioners, and other healthcare staff) with international career opportunities. The service is delivered through their website platform and dedicated recruitment teams organized by specialty divisions including Theatre Division (for anaesthetics, scrub, and recovery practitioners), Locum Doctors, Nursing Division (hospital wards), and support services including Head Immigration and Regulatory Support. Additional offerings include educational programs like Making the Move seminars and a self-service candidate portal for managing preferences.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Theatre Division Specialist placement service for Anaesthetics, Scrub, and Recovery practitioners throughout the UK and British Territories, offering ad-hoc sessions, fixed-term contracts, and permanent opportunities with NHS and private hospitals. Targets registered nurses, theatre practitioners, operating department practitioners (ODPs), and theatre healthcare support workers (HCSWs).
- Locum Doctors Placement service for locum doctors providing fixed-term and permanent positions throughout the UK and internationally. Covers all medical specialties and grades for hospital doctors, GPs, consultants, and specialists.
- Nursing Division Hospital ward locum division providing registered nurses for shift cover across Scotland's NHS hospitals, awarded a place on the NHS Scotland framework. Covers theatre nursing, scrub, anaesthetics, recovery, PACU, ICU, mental health nursing, and other specialties.
- Head Immigration Dedicated immigration advisory service assisting medical professionals with visa applications and immigration processes for international placements, including Australian visa specialists. Operates alongside Head Medical to support the core placement service.
- Regulatory Support Expert support for medical registration, licensing applications, and compliance with regulatory bodies in destination countries including Medical Councils of Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and other jurisdictions.
- Dentist Recruitment Division Recruitment service placing dentists and dental specialists in international career opportunities, expanding Head Medical's professional categories beyond doctors and nurses.
Quantifiable outcome
- Over 1800 doctors placed in dream jobs worldwide
- +1 more outcomes
Companies that use Head Medical
Customer profileNamed customers7 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Head Medical technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature2 records
Head Medical partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Tasmanian Health ServiceminorHead Medical was chosen as an approved supplier for the Tasmanian Health Service Framework, enabling them to source healthcare professionals for positions across Tasmania, Australia.
- NHS TrustscoreHead Medical is on the Crown Commercial Service framework 'Permanent Recruitment 2 - Clinical General Recruitment', enabling recruitment of permanent clinical staff to NHS Trusts throughout the UK.
- NHS ScotlandcoreHead Medical's Theatre Division is on the NHS Scotland framework for providing theatre staffing. They provide ad-hoc sessions, fixed-term contracts, and permanent opportunities with NHS hospitals across Scotland, covering specialties including Scrub, Recovery, and Operating Department Practitioners.
- Health Service Executive (HSE) IrelandcoreHead Medical is on the approved panel to source highly skilled Consultant Doctors for positions in Ireland. They support hospital Doctors at Consultant level to work in Ireland on fixed-term contracts.
- Ontario Ministry of LabourcoreLicensed recruiter for General Practitioners in Ontario, Canada (License ID: REC-0000015043). This government license enables Head Medical to recruit GPs for positions in Ontario.
- Medical Council of New ZealandcoreHead Medical works with the Medical Council of New Zealand to assist international medical graduates with specialist registration pathways. Following the November 2024 announcement, doctors with approved postgraduate qualifications from UK, Ireland, or Australia can apply via new fast-track registration pathway.
- NHS Dumfries & GallowayminorHead Medical won the NHS Dumfries & Galloway recruitment contract to conduct an overseas recruitment campaign filling vacancies for doctors including Consultants, medical grade doctors, and GPs in specialties such as anaesthetics, gastroenterology, paediatrics, and general surgery.
- Head ImmigrationcoreHead Medical works alongside their dedicated Australian visa specialists at Head Immigration to provide guidance on visa options, registration requirements, and relocation planning for doctors moving to Australia.
- Medical Councils (Australia, New Zealand, Canada, etc.)coreHead Medical shares candidate documents with appropriate Medical Councils in destination countries for the purpose of medical registration applications. They have expertise in navigating various international medical council requirements.
- Government of Western AustraliaminorHead Medical holds license EA3338 from the Department of Local Government, Industry Regulation and Safety, enabling them to recruit for positions in Western Australia.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves10 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Head Medical competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Aya Healthcare: US-based healthcare staffing company with a technology-led platform and growing international footprint. Overlaps Head Medical's locum doctor and nursing placement categories, with substantially greater technology and marketing investment.
- AMN Healthcare: Large US-listed healthcare staffing platform with international physician placement capabilities through its global divisions. Significantly larger scale and broader portfolio than Head Medical, but operates in the same international doctor recruitment category.
Direct peers
- ID Medical: UK-headquartered medical recruitment agency placing doctors, nurses, AHPs, and theatre staff into NHS and private hospitals. Directly comparable business model (placement fees, NHS framework presence) and overlaps Head Medical's NHS Theatre and Nursing Divisions.
- Skilled Medical: Australia-headquartered international medical recruitment agency placing doctors across Australia, NZ, UK, and Ireland. Overlaps Head Medical's destination markets and doctor-only placement model.
- Medacs Healthcare: One of the UK's largest medical staffing agencies, placing locum and permanent doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals into NHS and private settings. Directly comparable in NHS framework participation and multi-discipline clinical staffing.
- Wavelength International: Australia-based international doctor recruitment firm placing specialists into Australia, NZ, UK, and Ireland. Direct competitor in cross-border physician placement with comparable end-to-end relocation support.
- BDI Resourcing: UK-based international medical recruitment firm placing doctors into NHS, Middle East, and Australasian roles. Closely comparable international doctor placement model with similar candidate support services.
- Cpl Healthcare: Irish healthcare recruiter placing doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals across Ireland, UK, and internationally. Comparable in HSE Ireland panel presence and cross-border clinical placement.
- Sanctuary International / Sanctuary Personnel: UK-based recruitment agency placing doctors, nurses, and AHPs into NHS and international settings. Comparable NHS framework presence and multi-discipline clinical staffing focus.
- Global Medics: UK-based international medical recruitment firm placing doctors and AHPs into UK, Ireland, Australia, NZ, and Middle East positions. Direct competitor in cross-border doctor placement with comparable regional recruiter model.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Head Medical social profiles
Digital presenceHead Medical compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance8 records
Head Medical financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Head Medical leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles5 records
Head Medical funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Head Medical 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 Head Medical
What does Head Medical do?
Head Medical is an international medical recruitment agency that places doctors, nurses, theatre practitioners, dentists, and allied health professionals into permanent, fixed-term, and locum positions across more than 10 countries. The company operates through dedicated specialty divisions (Theatre Division, Locum Doctors, Nursing Division, Dentist Recruitment) and provides end-to-end support including job matching, medical registration and licensing assistance, visa/immigration advisory, and ongoing post-placement support via a structured 11-step process.
Is Head Medical a public or private company?
Head Medical is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Head Medical founded?
Head Medical was founded in 2001. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Head Medical based?
Head Medical is headquartered in Edinburgh, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Head Medical make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Placement Services are the primary driver. The others are immigration and Registration Services.
Who are Head Medical's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Aya Healthcare and AMN Healthcare. Direct peers are ID Medical, Skilled Medical, Medacs Healthcare, Wavelength International, BDI Resourcing, Cpl Healthcare, Sanctuary International / Sanctuary Personnel and Global Medics.
Does Head Medical have an API?
No public API is recorded for Head Medical.
What industry is Head Medical in?
Head Medical's product category is Medical Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACADAJ, Healthcare Clinical & Allied Health Staffing, with a secondary code of BPACAFAH, Healthcare Clinical Direct Hire (Nursing/Allied/Physicians). Its SIC code is 7361.