The Primary Care Respiratory Society

What The Primary Care Respiratory Society does

The Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) is a UK-registered charity (Charity Number 1098117, Company Number 4298947) founded in 2001 and headquartered at a London correspondence address, operating as a professional membership society for respiratory-interested clinicians working in primary, community and integrated care. The society delivers its mission, "inspiring best practice in respiratory care," through a portfolio of membership benefits including the Primary Care Respiratory Update (PCRU) members' magazine, an extensive clinical resources library covering asthma, COPD, tobacco dependency, inhaler devices and diagnostic testing, online learning modules, peer support networks, and the Respiratory Leadership Programme, which was relaunched in 2026 as a rolling three-year cohort. Its flagship event is the annual PCRS Respiratory Conference held in Telford, described as the UK's leading respiratory conference for clinicians in primary, community and integrated care. The society also convenes policy and quality-improvement activity through the Respiratory Service Framework, Fit to Care competency framework, Greener Healthcare and Health Inequalities campaigns, and a research partnership with npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine.

Name

The Primary Care Respiratory Society

Legal name

Primary Care Respiratory Society UK

Website

https://pcrs-uk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2001

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) is a UK charity and professional membership society that provides clinical resources, education, an annual conference, and policy advocacy for respiratory healthcare professionals working in primary, community, and integrated care.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Respiratory Healthcare Education

NAICS

Professional Organizations (81392)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Home Ventilation, Oxygen Therapy & Respiratory DME Clinical Management (HLAKANAM)

Keywords

• Respiratory care education
• Primary care resources
• Professional membership society
• Clinical respiratory guidelines
• Healthcare professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Membership Subscriptions: Annual membership fees starting from £54 per year, providing access to clinical resources, newsletters, training programs, and conference discounts for qualified healthcare professionals in primary, community and integrated care settings.
2. Commercial Email Communications: Occasional commercial emails sent on behalf of commercial organisations in return for a mailing fee (typically no more than 1 per month), generating income to support educational and charitable activities.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Primary Care Respiratory Society is a UK professional charity that operates a membership society for respiratory-interested clinicians working in primary, community, and integrated care. Its core offerings include paid annual membership (from £54/year) granting access to clinical resources aligned with BTS/NICE/SIGN guidelines, the PCRU members' magazine, online learning modules, peer support networks, and discounts on the annual UK Respiratory Conference.

Product overview

The Primary Care Respiratory Society (PCRS) operates as a professional membership organization rather than a product company. Its offerings include the Primary Care Respiratory Update (PCRU) magazine, Online Learning Modules, the Respiratory Leadership Programme, and the Annual PCRS Respiratory Conference. Supporting these are clinical resources covering asthma, COPD, and related conditions; frameworks such as the Respiratory Service Framework and Fit to Care; Peer Support Networks; the npj Primary Care Respiratory Medicine research journal partnership; policy and campaign initiatives; and podcasts. The society provides these as a unified portfolio of membership benefits and professional development services for healthcare professionals in primary, community, and integrated care settings.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• PCRS Standard Membership Annual paid membership starting from £54/year providing qualified healthcare professionals with access to clinical resources, the monthly In Touch newsletter, exclusive access to the Respiratory Leadership and Mentorship Programmes, the PCRU membership magazine, and discounts on the Annual Respiratory Conference.
• Annual PCRS Respiratory Conference The UK's leading respiratory conference for clinicians working in primary, community, and integrated care settings, held annually with expert faculty, registration rates, early bird pricing, and exhibitor opportunities.
• Online Learning Modules Educational modules for professional development covering respiratory conditions, diagnostic testing, inhaler devices, and treatment approaches, available to members via the PCRS website.
• Respiratory Leadership Programme A rolling three-year programme designed to develop leadership skills among respiratory healthcare professionals working in primary, community, and integrated care.
• Primary Care Respiratory Update (PCRU) Members' magazine containing clinical updates, respiratory news, opinion pieces, and educational content published periodically for PCRS members.
• Respiratory Service Framework (RSF) A framework developed by PCRS for designing and improving respiratory services across primary, community, and integrated care settings.
• Fit to Care Framework A competency framework for respiratory care professionals at various skill levels, used to assess workforce capability and training needs.

Quantifiable outcome

• PCRS resources support the implementation of BTS/NICE/SIGN asthma guidelines across primary care settings.

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• AstraZenecacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Industry partner in the Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP), a £10 million initiative bringing together NHS systems, health innovation networks, professional bodies and industry to address unmet need in respiratory care and improve patient outcomes.
• ChiesicoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Industry partner in the Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP), working alongside NHS systems, health innovation networks and other industry partners to transform respiratory care delivery.
• GSKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Industry partner in the Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP), contributing to improved diagnosis and treatment of respiratory disease.
• SanoficoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Industry partner in the Respiratory Transformation Partnership (RTP), collaborating to accelerate diagnosis and improve treatment for people with asthma and lung disease.
• Health Innovation NetworkcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Health Innovation Oxford and Thames Valley (HIOTV) is leading the Respiratory Transformation Partnership on behalf of the Health Innovation Network, coordinating implementation across the country.
• NHS EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Government partner in the Respiratory Transformation Partnership, supporting the shift from hospital to community care.
• Office for Life SciencescoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 17 March 2026Government partner in the Respiratory Transformation Partnership, supporting innovation in respiratory healthcare delivery.
• Asthma + Lung UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLeading respiratory charity and third sector partner. PCRS works collaboratively on campaigns such as warnings about online sales of salbutamol inhalers and participates in joint initiatives to improve respiratory care.
• British Thoracic Society (BTS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProfessional body partner collaborating on guidelines and clinical resources. BTS/NICE/SIGN asthma guidelines are referenced in PCRS clinical resources.
• Red Hot Irons LtdcoreOthersOperations partner delivering day-to-day activities of PCRS, including executive direction, membership management, governance, conference organisation, communications, and IT support.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Emerging players

• Association for Respiratory Technology & Physiology (ARTP): UK professional body for respiratory physiologists and technologists. Overlaps with PCRS in the respiratory diagnostics and lung function testing domain, but focused on allied health and technical staff rather than primary care clinicians.
• Taskforce for Lung Health: UK coalition of respiratory organisations, charities, and professional bodies (including PCRS-aligned leaders). Comparable as a respiratory advocacy and policy platform, but operates as a coalition rather than a membership society.

Direct peers

• British Thoracic Society (BTS): UK professional society for respiratory clinicians, producing the BTS/NICE/SIGN guidelines that PCRS explicitly aligns with. Most directly comparable peer in terms of mission, membership model, and clinical resource output for respiratory care.
• Asthma + Lung UK: UK respiratory charity that PCRS already partners with on campaigns and advocacy. Comparable as a respiratory-focused non-profit serving overlapping audiences (clinicians, patients, policymakers), but patient-led rather than clinician-led.
• Primary Care Diabetes Society (PCDS): UK professional society serving primary care clinicians with an interest in diabetes, with a comparable membership, conference, and clinical resource model. Most structurally analogous to PCRS outside of the respiratory specialty.
• International Primary Care Respiratory Group (IPPCRG / IPCRG): Global network of primary care respiratory organisations with overlapping clinical education, research, and policy missions. PCRS leadership (e.g., Stephen Holmes) sits on IPCRG committees, making it a direct international peer.

Broad incumbents

• Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP): UK professional body for GPs, where PCRS leaders like Stephen Holmes sit on council. RCGP offers broader primary care CPD and resources that overlap with PCRS's primary care respiratory content, though at a less specialised level.
• European Respiratory Society (ERS): Large pan-European professional society covering the full respiratory specialty, including primary care tracks. Overlaps with PCRS on respiratory education, conferences, and policy, but operates at much greater scale and breadth.
• Royal College of Physicians (RCP): Major UK medical professional body with significant respiratory training, conferences, and policy activity. Comparable as a membership-driven medical society but covering all physician specialties rather than primary care respiratory.
• British Geriatrics Society (BGS): UK professional society for healthcare professionals involved in the care of older people. Comparable as a specialist membership society serving a defined clinical audience within the UK, though focused on geriatric rather than respiratory care.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/PCRSUK
• Facebookfacebook.com/PCRSUK
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/primary-care-respiratory-society-uk

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 The Primary Care Respiratory Society