Supportive Care

What Supportive Care does

Supportive Care UK Ltd is a Cheadle-based, privately-held clinical services company founded in 2017 that operates the largest UK network of consultant-led palliative care advice, delivering services remotely 24/7 to NHS trusts, integrated care boards, charitable hospices, and private hospitals. The core offering is access to specialist palliative medicine consultants via second-on-call telephone advice, daytime board rounds, MDTs, clinical supervision, and on-site CNS/consultant staffing at partner hospitals such as The Christie Private Care and The Alex. The company supplements clinical services with a Remote Palliative Pharmacy Service, an Acute Oncology video-consultation service, a Medical Leadership Programme, and subscription-based palliative care education priced at £55 per person per module.

Underlying the clinical delivery is the SCUK Digital Portal, a secure platform built over the UK's Health and Social Care Network that supports clinician collaboration, advice proformas, and data safety; it is complemented by a Partners Portal, a PHF private practice management system, and a Palliative Care Dashboard. A weekly Quality Assurance Committee chaired by the Medical Director reviews clinical advice, creating a continuous feedback loop. The company is CQC-registered with a Good overall and Outstanding-for-responsiveness rating (2023) and was Highly Commended at the 2025 HSJ Partnership Awards (Staffing Solution of the Year).

The business model is primarily enterprise subscription and managed services: bespoke contracts with NHS and hospice partners (full out-of-hours cover, ad-hoc support, or daytime on-call), supplemented by hospital-based managed staffing, education subscriptions, and remote pharmacy fees. Operating across 66 contracts and 151 units with 100+ partners, Supportive Care is bootstrapped with no disclosed external funding and is led by CEO Charlotte Healey, Medical Director Professor Matt Makin, and Clinical Director Dr Rasha Al-Qurainy.

Name

Supportive Care

Legal name

Supportive Care UK Ltd

Website

https://supportive.care

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Supportive Care UK Ltd is the largest UK provider of consultant-led palliative care advice, delivering remote 24/7 clinical services, pharmacy, and education to NHS trusts, hospices, ICBs, and private hospitals via a secure digital portal.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Palliative Care Services

NAICS

Home Health Care Services (62161), Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412)

SIC

Services-Home Health Care Services (8082), Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Palliative Care (Home-Based) Providers (HLAFAEAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community-Based Palliative Care (Home-Based Non-Hospice) (HLADAHAH), Hospital-Based Palliative Care (Inpatient Consult Services) (HLADAHAG), Specialty Palliative Care (e.g., oncology, CHF/COPD, dementia) (HLADAHAJ), Palliative Care Clinics & Outpatient Programs (HLADAHAF), Bereavement, Grief & Family Support Services (Hospice-Linked) (HLAFAEAO)

Keywords

• Palliative care services
• Consultant-led advice
• Remote clinical support
• End-of-life care
• Healthcare consultancy

Headquarters

HQ city

Cheadle

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Remote Consultant Services: Bespoke contracts with NHS trusts, hospices, and healthcare providers for out-of-hours telephone advice, daytime on-call support, board rounds, and MDTs. Flexible packages tailored to provider needs.
2. Hospital-Based Care Services: On-site clinical services at partner hospitals including CNS and consultant staffing, working collaboratively with hospital clinicians.
3. Education and Training Programs: Subscription-based and pay-per-module palliative care education courses delivered remotely by consultant specialists. Includes medical leadership programmes and CPD modules.
4. Remote Palliative Pharmacy: Specialist pharmacist consultation services for medication management and monitoring, provided remotely to partner organizations.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Supportive Care provides remote, consultant-led palliative care services to NHS trusts, hospices, and healthcare providers across the UK on a 24/7 basis. Its core offerings include second-on-call telephone advice, daytime board rounds and MDTs, palliative pharmacy, acute oncology support, clinical supervision, hospital-based care, and clinical case notes audit, supplemented by palliative care education courses and a medical leadership programme. Services are delivered via bespoke enterprise contracts and supported by a proprietary digital portal for secure clinician collaboration.

Product overview

Supportive Care UK operates as a consultant-led palliative care service provider rather than a software product company. The core offering consists of clinical services delivered remotely by palliative medicine consultants, including second-on-call telephone advice, daytime board rounds, clinical supervision, and hospital-based care. These clinical services are complemented by learning/education products (Palliative Care Courses and Medical Leadership Programme) and supported by technology platforms including the SCUK Digital Portal, Palliative Care Dashboard, and SCUK Partners Portal. The company also offers specialized services such as Remote Palliative Pharmacy Service and Acute Oncology Support. The service model is flexible and tailored to each partner organization's needs, operating 24/7 to support hospices, hospitals, and NHS trusts across the UK.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Second-on-Call Telephone Advice Out-of-hours telephone advice service provided 24/7 by palliative medicine consultants to NHS trusts, hospices, and healthcare providers, addressing the national shortage of palliative consultants and ensuring consistent access to expert clinical guidance during evenings, nights, and weekends.
• Palliative Pharmacy Service Direct link to specialist consultant pharmacists who provide expert advice to clinicians on optimising medications, ensuring safe and cost-effective prescribing for palliative care patients.
• Daytime Board Rounds, MDTs and Case Load Reviews Regular consultant-led interaction with clinical teams through board rounds, multidisciplinary team meetings, and case load reviews to support advanced planning, boost confidence in decision-making, and improve patient care in a cost-effective way.
• Acute Oncology Support Service Innovative remote, consultant-led service bridging workforce gaps in cancer care by allowing hospitals to refer type 1-3 acute oncology patients via video consultation and receive specialist advice on cancer-related emergencies and confident decision-making.
• Clinical Supervision One-to-one clinical supervision sessions delivered by consultants to doctors and nurses, supporting continual professional development and team confidence.
• Hospital-Based Care

Quantifiable outcome

• 151 units supported under 66 contracts operating 24/7
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

27 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Ashgate Hospice (Derbyshire)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025OOH care for one week in every six, filling a gap in their rota.
• Southern Area Hospice Services (Northern Ireland)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Day of telephone support and a board round each week, ensuring full coverage.
• ellenor HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Five-year partnership expanded to include Remote Pharmacy service. Deep partnership with significant impact on clinical team development.
• EMMS InternationalminorOthers · 1 January 2025Charitable partnership where SCUK donated £12,000 to EMMS Malawi Food Crisis Emergency Appeal, providing food to palliative care patients and families. Beginning of SCUK's charitable focus supporting palliative care development internationally.
• Dorothy House Hospice (Bradford-on-Avon)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Out-of-hours services helping pick up slack when consultants are ill or on holiday.
• Harlington Hospice (Hayes)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Daytime telephone support at times when they don't have the right level of consultant cover.
• The Harborne Hospital (Birmingham)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024New integrated supportive and palliative care service built from scratch at newly opened hospital, replicating The Christie model.
• St Margaret's HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Regular on-call and OOH support as part of growing partner network.
• Willen HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Regular on-call and OOH support as part of growing partner network.
• Pilgrims HospicescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Regular on-call and OOH support as part of growing partner network.
• Marie Curie Hospice Group (Newcastle and Belfast)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Multiple locations using regular and ad-hoc on-call support, with Newcastle receiving OOH for work-life balance and Belfast receiving ad-hoc cover for absences.
• South Eastern Health and Social Care TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Regular and ad-hoc on-call and OOH support.
• Harefield HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Regular and ad-hoc on-call and OOH support.
• Queen's Hospital (Romford)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2024Acute hospital partnership providing consultant-level support.
• Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Full out-of-hours service provision for palliative care telephone advice, addressing workforce gaps in consultant coverage.
• Western Health and Social Care Trust (Belfast)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Full out-of-hours service provision, providing consultant-level cover for palliative care advice outside normal working hours.
• Cornwall and Isles of Scilly ICBcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Full out-of-hours service provision across the ICB region, coordinating palliative care access for multiple providers.
• Myton Hospices Group (Warwickshire)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ad-hoc partnership allowing flexible selection of cover as needed without fixed commitment.
• Oakhaven Hospice (Lymington)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Ad-hoc support partnership providing flexible consultant access when needed.
• Mary Stevens Hospice (Stourbridge)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Comprehensive daytime on-call, board rounds, and MDT support at whatever level and frequency they choose.
• St Cuthbert's Hospice (Durham)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Comprehensive daytime on-call, board rounds, and MDT support providing consistent in-depth support.
• Northern Ireland HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023New dedicated daily consultancy service including five scheduled interventions per week with different SCUK consultants for inpatient unit and outreach team.
• North Central London ICB and North London HospicecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Three-way partnership where NLH serves as gateway to OOH consultant access, adding governance and monitoring layer across NCL boroughs.
• Cleveland Clinic London HospitalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 202324/7 telephone support and advice service for palliative and supportive care provision, addressing recognized need for specialist support.
• East London NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Twice-weekly case reviews and daytime on-call advice support for palliative care team.
• The Good Shepherd Hospice (Chester)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Bolt-on flexible contract alongside foundation contract, boosting existing OOH rota from time to time.
• Strathcarron Hospice (Glasgow)minorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2023Bolt-on flexible contract helping navigate last-minute and emergency gaps in provision.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Integrated Care 24 (IC24): UK not-for-profit social enterprise providing OOH, urgent care, and NHS 111 services. Comparable in running enterprise-scale clinical advice and triage operations for NHS customers, with similar workforce-scarcity solutions.
• Consultant Connect: UK-based specialist telephone advice service connecting NHS clinicians to consultants for rapid guidance. Closest comparable to SCUK's second-on-call model, serving the same NHS trust and ICB buyer base with a similar remote-advice delivery mechanism.
• Totally plc: UK healthcare services group providing urgent care, OOH, and insourced services to the NHS, including palliative-adjacent services. Comparable as a UK-listed operator of consultant-led NHS service contracts of similar scope and contract-driven GTM motion.

Emerging players

• Doctor Care Anywhere: UK-listed telemedicine provider offering remote GP and specialist consultations. Comparable in remote clinical consultation delivery and NHS/private customer overlap, though focused on episodic virtual appointments rather than OOH specialist advice.
• Livi (Kry): UK digital GP service part of Kry, offering remote consultations to NHS and private patients. Comparable as a remote clinical advice provider in the UK market, though operating in primary rather than specialist palliative care.

Broad incumbents

• Acacium Group: Large UK health and social care staffing and managed services group. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering clinical workforce solutions to NHS and private providers, with the scale to potentially expand into palliative specialist staffing.
• Practice Plus Group: UK healthcare provider delivering NHS services including OOH, urgent care, and specialist secondary care. Comparable in operating enterprise NHS service contracts with similar consultant-led delivery models across multiple specialties.
• NHS Professionals: UK's largest NHS staffing provider, owned by the Department of Health. Comparable as a broad workforce-solutions incumbent addressing NHS consultant and clinician gaps at greater scale, though across all specialties rather than palliative-specific.

Others

• EMMS International: UK-registered international healthcare charity partnered with SCUK on palliative care development in Malawi, Nepal, Zambia, and Rwanda. Comparable as an adjacent player in the broader palliative care ecosystem rather than a direct service competitor.
• Circle Health Group: UK private hospital operator and SCUK partner (The Alex). Comparable as a complementary UK private healthcare operator where SCUK provides embedded palliative services; functions more as a customer/channel than direct competitor.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/supportive-care-uk-ltd
• Xx.com/scuk18

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles9 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 Supportive Care