Purosearch

What Purosearch does

Purosearch is a UK-based recruitment consultancy founded in 2006 by Stephen Bowler, operating from three offices (Manchester headquarters, York, and London). The firm specializes exclusively in health and social care, primary care, and occupational health recruitment, placing candidates including GPs, advanced nurse practitioners, practice nurses, paramedics, pharmacists, care home managers, children's residential care managers, and occupational health physicians and technicians into permanent roles across GP practices, NHS trusts, care homes, nursing homes, and occupational health providers throughout the UK. In addition to its core UK permanent placement service, Purosearch operates a specialized UK-to-Australia GP placement service supporting international relocation through RACGP/ACRRM pathway assessment, DPA placement matching, and visa advisory.

The business operates on a traditional consultancy model with no proprietary technology platform, no AI/ML capabilities, and no software product offering. Revenue is generated through permanent placement fees on a professional services basis. The supporting technology stack is limited to a website job board with search, filtering, job alert, RSS feed, and CV upload functionality, combined with direct consultant-led engagement. The firm is a corporate member of the Recruitment & Employment Confederation (REC), holds a Trustpilot review presence, and operates a content-led marketing function anchored by an insights blog covering healthcare workforce trends and international GP pathways.

Purosearch sits within a broader Puro Group ecosystem that includes wholly-owned sister brands Puro Vets (veterinary recruitment), Puro Build (construction recruitment), Puro Associates (professional services recruitment), and Puro Accountancy (accountancy and finance recruitment), though Purosearch itself remains narrowly focused on healthcare verticals. The company is a privately held UK limited company (registration 05689764) with no external institutional investment, no parent company, and no publicly disclosed financials.

Name

Purosearch

Legal name

Purosearch Ltd.

Website

https://purosearch.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Purosearch is a UK recruitment consultancy founded in 2006 that specializes in health and social care, primary care, and occupational health permanent placements. Operating from three offices, it connects healthcare professionals with employers through consultant-led services and a basic website job board.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Permanent Placement Fees: Purosearch generates revenue through placement fees for permanent healthcare recruitment placements. The company places candidates including GPs, nurses, care home managers, and occupational health professionals into permanent roles across the UK healthcare sector.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

Purosearch is a UK specialist recruitment consultancy that sources permanent and contract staff for the health and social care sector. The firm operates three dedicated service lines — Health & Social Care, Primary Care, and Occupational Health — and runs an international UK-to-Australia GP placement programme. Sourcing is delivered through consultant-led direct engagement with employers, supplemented by a company website Job Board and CV upload portal where candidates can self-register.

Product overview

Purosearch is a health and social care recruitment consultancy established in 2006, offering three core service lines: Health & Social Care Recruitment (covering care homes, nursing homes, children's homes, and domiciliary care), Primary Care Recruitment (GPs, ANPs, Practice Nurses, Paramedics, Pharmacists), and Occupational Health Recruitment (physicians, advisors, nurses, technicians). The company operates an online job board platform with search, filtering, and job alert capabilities. Purosearch also runs a specialized UK-to-Australia GP placement service assisting British GPs with international relocation through pathway assessment, DPA placement, and visa support.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Health & Social Care Recruitment Services Specialist permanent and contract recruitment service for the UK health and social care sector, sourcing clinical and non-clinical staff for employers such as NHS trusts, private providers, and local authority care organisations.
• Primary Care Recruitment Services Dedicated primary care recruitment service focused on placing GPs, practice nurses, and allied primary care professionals into UK GP practices and primary care networks.
• Occupational Health Recruitment Services Specialist recruitment service for the occupational health sector, placing occupational health physicians, nurses, advisors, and technicians into employer occupational health functions and OH provider organisations.
• UK to Australia GP Placement Service International placement service that recruits UK-based GPs and supports their relocation into Australian general practice roles, combining primary care recruitment expertise with international mobility support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Trusted by thousands of healthcare professionals since 2006

Named customers4 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered minor.

• Puro VetsminorOthersRelated brand under the Puro Group network, specializing in veterinary recruitment services. Logo displayed as part of Puro Group family of recruitment brands.
• Puro BuildminorOthersRelated brand under the Puro Group network, specializing in construction recruitment services. Logo displayed as part of Puro Group family of recruitment brands.
• Puro AssociatesminorOthersRelated brand under the Puro Group network, specializing in accountancy recruitment services. Logo displayed as part of Puro Group family of recruitment brands.
• Puro AccountancyminorOthersRelated brand under the Puro Group network, specializing in accountancy and finance recruitment. Part of the broader Puro Group recruitment network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Athona: Athona is a UK healthcare recruitment agency placing doctors, nurses, allied health, and clinical psychology professionals. It overlaps with Purosearch in primary care, occupational health, and allied health verticals.
• Medacs Healthcare: Medacs is a global healthcare staffing firm with strong UK presence in doctor, nursing, and allied health recruitment. It is a direct competitor to Purosearch in placing healthcare professionals into NHS and private settings across the UK.
• ID Medical: ID Medical is a leading UK provider of healthcare recruitment, supplying doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and AHP/HSS staff to NHS trusts and private providers. It competes head-to-head with Purosearch in primary and secondary care permanent and locum placement.
• Team24: Team24 is a CCH Group brand providing healthcare recruitment across nursing, midwifery, allied health, and social care. It is a direct competitor to Purosearch in care home, domiciliary care, and clinical placements across the UK.
• HCG (Health & Care Group): HCG is a UK healthcare recruiter covering allied health, nursing, social care, and medical placements. It directly competes with Purosearch in social care, primary care, and allied health verticals across the UK.
• Pulse (Pulse Healthcare Recruitment): Pulse is one of the largest UK healthcare recruitment agencies, placing doctors, nurses, allied health professionals, and social care staff. It directly competes with Purosearch across the same healthcare verticals with similar consultant-led placement models.
• Hunter Healthcare: Hunter Healthcare is a UK specialist recruitment firm focused on senior healthcare leadership and clinical roles. It competes with Purosearch in primary care and health management placements, particularly for senior and hard-to-fill roles.

Broad incumbents

• Reed Specialist Recruitment: Reed is one of the UK's largest generalist recruitment firms, with a dedicated healthcare division placing doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals. It is a broader incumbent that overlaps with Purosearch's healthcare verticals but operates across many additional sectors.
• Michael Page Healthcare: Michael Page is a global recruitment firm with a UK healthcare practice placing professionals across the NHS, private hospitals, and life sciences. It competes with Purosearch in healthcare mid-to-senior placements as part of a much broader portfolio.
• Hays UK & Ireland: Hays is a major UK and global recruitment group with a healthcare life sciences practice. As a broad incumbent, it competes with Purosearch for healthcare professional placements while also serving life sciences, finance, IT, and construction markets.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/Purosearch
• Facebookfacebook.com/Purosearch-140732779276530
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/964931

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Subsidiaries4 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 Purosearch