Headway Bristol

What Headway Bristol does

Headway Bristol is an independent, non-profit charitable company limited by guarantee (registered charity in England, founded 1984) delivering specialist social and cognitive rehabilitation services to adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their families across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Its service portfolio covers the full post-injury continuum: a Crisis Support Service with Hospital Navigators embedded at Southmead Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary under honorary NHS contracts; a Carers Support Service offering crisis advice, one-to-one support and respite; Reablement & Wellbeing Centres operating Monday to Friday across Wellspring Settlement (Barton Hill) and Brightwell Centre (Bradley Stoke); Outreach one-to-one support delivered in service users' homes and communities; a Social Hub; and a monthly Care and Connect peer group. Private-pay rates are £84 per day at the centres and £27 per hour for outreach (minimum 3 hours); local-authority-funded placements and direct-payment/personal-budget clients are served free at point of use.

The organisation operates with no proprietary technology platform — services are delivered by trained staff, support workers and volunteers using person-centred approaches, supported by a WCAG 2.2 AA-targeted website, privacy-focused Plausible Analytics, JustGiving for online fundraising with Gift Aid, and PayPal for donation processing. Revenue is assembled from three streams: charitable donations and fundraising events (the charity states it needs to raise approximately £75,000 each year to maintain and expand services), local-authority and NHS funding routed through personal budgets and direct payments, and private-pay fee-for-service contracts. Go-to-market is community-led and referral-driven: proactive Hospital Navigator case-finding inside NHS trusts, professional referrals from social workers and case managers, and word-of-mouth from survivors and families. In April 2026 the charity took lease of the Woodside Building on the Kingswood Foundation Estate, consolidating all services under one roof alongside partner charities such as Southern Brooks Community Partnership and Creative Youth Network, and creating capacity for an information centre and sanctuary.

Name

Headway Bristol

Legal name

Headway Bristol

Website

https://headwaybristol.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1984

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Headway Bristol is an independent registered charity (founded 1984) delivering specialist social and cognitive rehabilitation, hospital crisis navigation, carers support and outreach services to adults with acquired brain injury and their families across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Brain Injury Rehabilitation Services

NAICS

Services for the Elderly and Persons with Disabilities (62412), Other Individual and Family Services (624190)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Neurologic Rehabilitation (Stroke, TBI, Parkinson’s, MS) (HSADAIAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cognitive-Communication & Memory Rehab Therapy In-Home (HSABADAL), Disability Services & Independent Living Support (BPAGACAG), Peer Support, Recovery Coaching & Sober Living Services (HLAFACAN)

Keywords

• Brain injury rehabilitation
• Social support services
• Community rehabilitation
• Carer support services
• Charitable health services

Headquarters

HQ city

Bristol

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations and Fundraising: Headway Bristol relies primarily on charitable donations and fundraising activities to sustain operations. The charity needs to raise around £75,000 each year to continue services, expand existing provision, and pilot new initiatives. Individual donors, corporate sponsors, community groups, and supporters contribute through one-time donations, ongoing support, event fundraising (half marathons, raffles, coffee mornings, fashion shows, golf days), and merchandise purchases (Friends of Headway Bristol hoodies, mugs, pens, trolley coins). JustGiving platform enables easy online fundraising with Gift Aid. The organization also welcomes in-kind donations of craft items, games, and enabling technology.
2. Local Authority and NHS Funding: Services may be funded by local authorities (Bristol, North Somerset, South Gloucestershire) or primary care trusts for individuals with established funding through personal budgets or direct payments. Individuals with care needs assessments from their local authority can have Reablement & Wellbeing Centre placements and Outreach Support funded. The charity also has honorary contracts with NHS Trusts enabling Hospital Navigator services.
3. Private Pay (Fee-for-Service): Individuals who do not qualify for local authority funding (those with savings above council-specified thresholds) can access services through private contracts. Reablement & Wellbeing Centres: £84 per day. Outreach One-to-one Support: £27 per hour (minimum 3 hours). Headway Bristol conducts its own assessment of needs for private pay clients.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

Headway Bristol is an independent non-profit charity that delivers specialist social and cognitive rehabilitation services to adults with acquired brain injury (ABI) and their families across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. Core offerings include a Crisis Support Service (hospital navigation), Carers Support Service, Reablement & Well-being Centres (centre-based rehabilitation), Outreach One-to-one Support (in-home/community), Social Hub (social connection), and the monthly Care and Connect Group.

Product overview

Headway Bristol offers a coordinated suite of brain injury support services across Bristol, North Somerset and South Gloucestershire. The organization provides Crisis Support Service (hospital navigation), Carers Support Service, Reablement & Well-being Centres (centre-based rehabilitation), Outreach One-to-one Support, Social Hub, and the Care and Connect Group. These services support individuals at every stage of the brain injury journey from immediate hospital visits through to long-term community integration, with some services free (Crisis Support, Carers Support, Social Hub) and others at reduced cost (Wellbeing Centre, Outreach Support).

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Crisis Support Service Hospital Navigators provide free emotional and practical support to families when a loved one is in hospital due to brain injury, including understanding brain injury, guidance, communication liaison with hospital staff, financial/legal signposting, and rehabilitation pathway navigation at Southmead Hospital and Bristol Royal Infirmary.
• Carers Support Service Free services for families and carers of people with brain injury, including crisis advice, one-to-one support (in person/telephone), information and resources, support with independent living, and respite for families.
• Reablement & Well-being Centres Safe and supportive centre-based environments at Wellspring Settlement (Mon/Wed/Fri) and Brightwell Centre (Tue/Thu) where adults with brain injuries practice or relearn cognitive, physical, and social skills through arts/crafts, cookery, health/fitness, gardening, courses and talks. £84 per day for private pay clients; free for local authority funded placements.
• Outreach One-to-one Support One-to-one outreach support where a skilled support worker helps adults with brain injury achieve rehabilitation goals in their own homes and local communities, focusing on independence, social skills, and reducing isolation. £27 per hour (minimum 3 hours); free for local authority funded clients.
• Social Hub Free regular social meet-ups open to all individuals with brain injuries (not limited to Headway service users) to prevent isolation through shared activities such as restaurant visits, adventure golf, and animal encounters.
• Care and Connect Group Free monthly support group held on the second Tuesday (7pm-9pm) at Wellspring Settlement, open to ABI survivors, carers, and families with no referral needed, providing an informal social space with emotional support and peer connection.

Quantifiable outcome

• Research shows 70%+ of brain injury survivors experience deterioration in social life post-injury, making Headway Bristol's social rehabilitation interventions critical to quality of life
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered supporting, minor and core.

• We The CurioussupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducational charity and leading UK science centre that has provided free entry for Headway Bristol service users, enabling visits to exhibits, experiments, creative activities and interactive shows
• Bird and Blend Tea Co.supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerTea company that has donated products allowing Headway Bristol service users to participate in special tea-tasting activities
• Vox in Frox ChoirminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAll-female chamber choir based in Chew Valley that performed a concert for Headway Bristol with retiring collection donated to the charity
• Bristol MorrisminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Morris dancing troupe that performed at Headway Bristol Easter event, bringing energy, music and atmosphere to the centre with colourful kits and traditional folk culture
• Stuart Irish DanceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLocal Irish dancers who performed for Headway Bristol service users, staff and volunteers on St Patrick's Day, transforming the centre with music, movement, soft shoes and sequins
• Marmalade TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAward-winning charity dedicated to raising awareness of loneliness, particularly active at Christmas, that has shown kindness to Headway Bristol service users with visits and gifts
• Dorset & Somerset Air AmbulancesupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerAir ambulance service partnered with Headway Bristol; featured in AGM video about their partnership supporting brain injury survivors
• Southern Brooks Community PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization located at Kingswood Estate (new Headway Bristol home); part of vibrant hub of charities, organisations, cafes and community facilities enabling new partnerships and shared events
• Creative Youth NetworksupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerOrganization managing the Kingswood Foundation Estate where Headway Bristol's new Woodside Building is located; transformed the historic 1852 reformatory school site into community hub supporting young people and local community
• Headway UKcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational brain injury association (Registered Charity) that Headway Bristol is affiliated with; provides shared resources, national branding, Action for Brain Injury Week campaigns, emergency fund, and network of regional branches across the UK
• Carers Support Centre (Bristol & South Gloucestershire)supportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerExpert advice, support groups and Carers Emergency Card program for local carers; Headway Bristol refers carers to their services and promotes their resources during Carers Week
• NHS Trusts (Southmead Hospital, Bristol Royal Infirmary)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHospital trusts where Headway Bristol's Hospital Navigators have honorary contracts for secure access to patient information systems, enabling proactive identification of brain injury patients and families at earliest possible stage
• Bristol MindsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerMental health charity in Bristol offering Infoline support; Huw Ponting (Headway Bristol Chair) ran Bristol Half Marathon raising funds for both Headway Bristol and Bristol Mind

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• NeuroHealth UK: UK-based brain injury and neurological rehabilitation provider offering home-based and community neuro-rehabilitation services. Overlapping beneficiary population and rehabilitation focus, with a more clinical/therapeutic delivery model than Headway Bristol's social rehabilitation approach.

Emerging players

• BASIC (Brain and Spinal Injury Centre): UK charity providing rehabilitation and support services for people with brain and spinal injuries. Smaller, regional service footprint comparable to Headway Bristol with overlapping beneficiary population.
• Different Strokes: UK charity supporting younger stroke survivors with rehabilitation, peer support, and exercise-based programs. Comparable community-led support model and target population (stroke = major ABI cause) though narrower demographic focus.
• Child Brain Injury Trust: UK charity supporting children, young people and families affected by acquired brain injury. Comparable specialist brain injury support mission, but focused on pediatric population versus Headway Bristol's adult focus.

Broad incumbents

• The Brain Injury Rehabilitation Trust: Part of The Disabilities Trust, providing specialist residential and community brain injury rehabilitation across the UK. Overlapping beneficiary population (ABI survivors) with more institutional/residential service model compared to Headway Bristol's community-led approach.
• The Stroke Association: Major UK charity supporting stroke survivors — a key ABI sub-population that Headway Bristol also serves. Comparable mission of post-stroke/acquired brain injury rehabilitation, life-after-stroke support, and family/carer services at significantly larger national scale.
• Headway UK: National brain injury association of which Headway Bristol is an affiliated regional branch. Provides shared resources, branding, national campaigns and emergency fund access; comparable as the parent network and brand framework Headway Bristol operates within.

Direct peers

• Carers Support Centre (Bristol & South Gloucestershire): Local charity providing expert advice, support groups and Carers Emergency Card program for unpaid carers in the same geographic footprint as Headway Bristol. Headway Bristol actively refers carers to this organization. Comparable regional carer-support mission.
• Headway East Sussex: Another regional Headway branch offering similar brain injury rehabilitation and support services in a different UK geography. Most directly comparable as a sister charity operating the same service model (centre-based rehab, outreach, carer support) under the Headway UK umbrella.
• Headway Oxfordshire: Regional Headway branch providing brain injury rehabilitation, outreach, and carer services in Oxfordshire. Comparable service-line portfolio and target population to Headway Bristol under the same national affiliation.

Market position

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HWBristol
• Xx.com/HeadwayBristol
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/headway-bristol-the-brain-injury-association

Compliance1 record

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 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 Headway Bristol