UK-Med

What UK-Med does

UK-Med is a Manchester-headquartered humanitarian medical charity, established in 1994 as the institutional successor to SMART (founded 1987), that deploys clinical teams to conflict zones, disease outbreaks, and natural disasters. It is the first UK-based NGO verified by the World Health Organization as an Emergency Medical Team (Type 2), and more recently became the first organisation globally to receive the WHO Rehabilitation Specialty Care Team designation. Operationally, UK-Med runs field hospitals, mobile clinics, and frontline training programmes, and has responded across more than 20 countries including Ukraine (where it established its first long-term country programme in 2022), Gaza (where in 2024 it became the only British NGO to construct a field hospital, treating over 250,000 people), and Venezuela. It also operates Standby Partnership arrangements with the WHO and is a member of the Start Network of humanitarian NGOs.

The organisation's core "products" are its surge clinical capacity (a roster of approximately 1,000 trained medics plus core and country-programme staff), its training portfolio (humanitarian health courses and clinical fellowships), and its newly expanded specialty capabilities in mental health and psychosocial support (MHPSS) and rehabilitation. Underlying these is a standards-based operating model built around WHO EMT verification, which specifies staffing profiles, equipment lists, clinical protocols, and reporting requirements that competitors must independently replicate to compete in formal international EMT deployments. UK-Med also runs a research programme, signalling an intent to contribute to the evidence base for humanitarian health response.

As a registered charity (England and Wales charity number referenced in source material), UK-Med's revenue model is non-commercial. Income is generated from a mix of institutional grants (FCDO, WHO, Start Network), individual donations, corporate partnerships (including the Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce partnership signed March 2024), and foundation grants. The organisation is funded to deliver programmes rather than sell services, and growth in operational scale is driven by crisis demand and successful institutional fundraising rather than market-driven sales motion.

Name

UK-Med

Legal name

UK-Med

Website

https://uk-med.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

UK-Med is a Manchester-based humanitarian medical charity that deploys WHO-verified emergency medical teams, field hospitals, and mobile clinics to conflict and disaster zones across more than 20 countries, while running training and research programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Humanitarian Emergency Medical Services

NAICS

Emergency and Other Relief Services (62423), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (62211)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Humanitarian Health & Emergency Medical Relief NGOs (HLAJAKAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Medical Care & Field Hospitals (BPADADAC), Medical Missions & Global Health NGOs (BPAGACAI)

Keywords

• Emergency medical response
• Humanitarian healthcare
• Field hospital deployment
• Disaster medical aid
• Rehabilitation care teams

Headquarters

HQ city

Manchester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Public donations to support emergency response operations and specific appeals (Gaza Health Crisis, Ukraine Appeal, Venezuela Appeal).
2. Institutional Funding: Funding from UK government agencies including Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) for humanitarian responses.
3. Philanthropy: Support from major donors, corporate partners, and philanthropic foundations.
4. Workforce secondment: NHS staff deployed through UK-Med roster while remaining connected to NHS employers.

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

UK-Med provides frontline emergency medical care during humanitarian crises, including the deployment of field hospitals, mobile health clinics, and specialised clinical teams (emergency, rehabilitation, and mental health) to disaster and conflict zones. It also delivers training and capacity building for local health workers and supports outbreak response operations. Services are delivered to affected populations at the request of host governments and the World Health Organization.

Product overview

UK-Med is a humanitarian medical aid charity that operates a portfolio of emergency healthcare products and services, with its core offering being the UK Emergency Medical Team (UK EMT). The UK EMT is the first UK-based NGO verified as an Emergency Medical Team by the World Health Organization, offering a range of WHO-verified capabilities including fully equipped field hospitals, mobile health clinics ('GPs on wheels'), and embedded surgical and rehabilitation teams. Supporting the response capabilities are Training Courses for capacity building, Research programs promoting evidence-based practice, and Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) services. The Rehabilitation Specialised Care Team (Rehab SCT) is the first globally designated WHO-verified rehabilitation team and the most deployed globally. The organisation draws on a roster of over 1,000 NHS and international medics ready to deploy 24/7.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• UK EMT: UK Emergency Medical Team - the WHO-verified Emergency Medical Team operated by UK-Med that deploys to disaster and conflict zones.

Products and services

• Field Hospital A self-sufficient, deployable field hospital capability used to provide inpatient and surgical care in disaster and conflict zones, delivered at the request of host governments and the WHO.
• Mobile Health Clinics Mobile outpatient clinics that deliver primary and emergency healthcare to displaced or crisis-affected populations in locations where fixed health infrastructure is unavailable or destroyed.
• Rehabilitation Specialised Care Team A specialised team providing rehabilitation services (physiotherapy, occupational therapy, and prosthetic/orthotic support) in humanitarian settings; the first in the world to receive WHO verification for this capability.
• Mental Health and Psychosocial Support (MHPSS) Mental health and psychosocial support services for crisis-affected populations, embedded within UK-Med's broader emergency medical deployments.
• Humanitarian Health Training and Capacity Building Training courses and capacity-building programmes preparing clinicians (often drawn from the UK NHS and international partners) to deploy in humanitarian and emergency medical responses, aligned with WHO EMT competency standards.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 250,000 people treated in Gaza since January 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce (GMCC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 19 March 2024Strategic partnership formed when UK-Med moved into GMCC offices at Elliot House. Part of values-based collaborative mission for supporting people and businesses 'giving back'. GMCC helps UK-Med strengthen links with the Northwest region and has previously helped launch UK-Med's Ukraine Emergency Appeal.
• World Health Organization (WHO)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022WHO verification and coordination for Emergency Medical Team deployments. UK-Med was called upon by WHO to provide urgent medical aid in Gaza. Founder Tony Redmond played key role in establishing EMT standards.
• Ukrainian Association of Great BritainminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2022Partnered with UK-Med and GMCC along with Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Manchester, to launch Ukraine Emergency Appeal.
• Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO)coreOthersUK government funding for humanitarian responses. FCDO funding enabled delivery of medical equipment worth over £100,000 to Türkoğlu hospital following Turkey/Syria earthquakes.
• Standby PartnershipscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUK-Med participates in Standby Partnerships initiative which provides UN with access to specialist staff. Places professionals like Dr. Joanna Drogowska where needed for surge support in humanitarian operations.
• NHS TrustscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS staff deployed through UK-Med roster while maintaining NHS employment. Many NHS workers have deployed to Ukraine, Gaza, and other crisis zones through this arrangement.

Scale indicators17 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• International Medical Corps (IMC): IMC is a US-headquartered humanitarian NGO that deploys emergency medical teams, runs field hospitals, and trains local health workers in conflict and disaster settings. It is a close direct peer to UK-Med in WHO EMT-type deployments, mobile clinics, and capacity-building programs.
• Mercy Corps: Mercy Corps is a large humanitarian NGO delivering emergency health, food security, and recovery programming in fragile and conflict-affected states. It competes with UK-Med for institutional humanitarian funding and overlaps on emergency health delivery in many of the same geographies.
• Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) / Doctors Without Borders: MSF is the world's largest independent medical humanitarian organization, deploying field hospitals, surgical teams, and emergency medical responses globally. It is the most direct functional peer to UK-Med across EMT deployment, field hospital operations, and crisis-zone medical care, though at materially greater scale.
• Direct Relief: Direct Relief provides emergency medical aid, supplies, and field support to communities affected by conflict and disaster worldwide. It is comparable to UK-Med in frontline emergency medical care delivery, though its model is more supply-chain focused rather than deployable clinical teams.
• International Rescue Committee (IRC): The IRC delivers emergency health, rehabilitation, and crisis-response services to displaced and conflict-affected populations globally. It overlaps with UK-Med on frontline health service delivery in conflict zones and in rehabilitation programming, with comparable donor mix and country program footprint.
• International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC): The ICRC provides impartial humanitarian medical care in conflict zones worldwide, including field hospitals and surgical support, and works closely with WHO on EMT coordination. It is a direct peer in emergency medical response in armed conflict, operating at vastly greater scale and with a distinct international mandate.
• Americares: Americares delivers emergency medical services, medicines, and training in disaster and conflict settings globally. It is a peer in humanitarian medical response and capacity-building health programs, with a comparable mix of front-line response and health system strengthening.
• Relief International: Relief International runs emergency health programs, mobile clinics, and capacity-building initiatives in conflict and disaster zones. Its operating model — combining rapid emergency medical response with longer-term health system support — closely mirrors UK-Med's mix of EMT deployment, mobile clinics, and training.

Others

• UK-Med's NHS and GMCC anchor partners (Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce, NHS Trusts): The Greater Manchester Chamber of Commerce is a strategic ecosystem partner providing office space, regional advocacy, and fundraising launchpad for UK-Med's Ukraine appeal. NHS Trusts are critical enabling partners that release clinicians to UK-Med's roster. Both are not direct peers but material enabling relationships for UK-Med's operating model.

Emerging players

• MAP International: MAP International provides medicines and health supplies and runs short-term medical missions in low-resource and disaster-affected settings. It overlaps with UK-Med on humanitarian medical delivery and capacity building, but at a smaller scale and with a more supply-mission orientation.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/UKMed
• Facebookfacebook.com/UKMedNGO
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uk-med

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about UK-Med