East Lancashire Medical Services

What East Lancashire Medical Services does

East Lancashire Medical Services (ELMS) is a not-for-profit Community Benefits Society registered under the Co-Operative and Community Benefits Societies Act 2014, founded in 1994 and headquartered in Blackburn, UK. The organisation delivers NHS-commissioned urgent primary care services 24 hours a day, 365 days a year to the populations of Pennine Lancashire — specifically Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire. Its four core commissioned service lines are: (i) an Out of Hours service providing unscheduled primary care when GP surgeries are closed; (ii) a Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) providing enhanced clinical triage staffed by senior nurses, pharmacists and GPs following NHS 111/999 referrals; (iii) an Acute Visiting Service (AVS) for urgent home visits that might otherwise result in hospital conveyance; and (iv) a Navigation Hub staffed by Nurse Advisers that interfaces directly with NHS 111 to manage complex cases and coordinate transfers for at-risk patients.

ELMS operates exclusively as a referral-based service — patients cannot access it directly, only via NHS 111, 999, or a local Healthcare Professional. The clinical technology stack is built on Adastra for consultation recording and EMIS for clinical documentation, augmented by a proprietary Clinical Guardian performance-review system that audits clinician consultations against RCGP criteria. Underlying this, ELMS runs two primary care centres (Blackburn and Burnley) and is integrated with at least seven external care partners via the Navigation Hub, including ICAT, IHSS, Reablement, Crisis Teams, and Burnley/Pendle/Rossendale CVS for social prescribing.

Commercially, ELMS has a single revenue stream: NHS commissioning contracts via the Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Commissioning Board and CCGs. There is no patient pricing — services are free at point of use — and no external investors; ownership rests with a 300+ membership base of staff, local GPs, and patients, governed by an ELMS Council. The operating model is clinically led by Clinical Chair/CEO Dr Asif Garda, with a small executive team (11–50 employees total) handling 90,000–100,000 patient contacts per year.

Name

East Lancashire Medical Services

Legal name

East Lancashire Medical Services Limited

Website

https://elms-nfp.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1994

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

East Lancashire Medical Services (ELMS) is a not-for-profit NHS-commissioned Community Benefits Society delivering urgent primary care — Out of Hours, Clinical Assessment, Acute Visiting, and Navigation Hub services — to Pennine Lancashire populations, accessed exclusively via NHS 111, 999, or healthcare professional referral.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Blackburn

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. NHS Commissioning: ELMS operates as a Community Benefits Society commissioned by the NHS (Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Commissioning Board and CCGs) to deliver urgent primary care services. Revenue comes from NHS contracts for providing Out of Hours services, Clinical Assessment Service, Navigation Hub, and Acute Visiting Service to the populations of Pennine Lancashire.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

East Lancashire Medical Services (ELMS) is a not-for-profit Community Benefits Society delivering urgent primary care services to the populations of Pennine Lancashire (Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire) 24 hours per day, 365 days per year. Its portfolio includes an Out of Hours Service, Clinical Assessment Service, Acute Visiting Service, and Navigation Hub, all accessed exclusively via NHS 111, NHS 999, or healthcare professional referral rather than walk-ins.

Product overview

East Lancashire Medical Services (ELMS) operates as a not-for-profit Community Benefits Society delivering urgent primary care services to Pennine Lancashire populations. The organization provides a coordinated suite of healthcare services including the Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) for enhanced clinical triage, an Out of Hours Service available 24/7 via NHS 111, an Acute Visiting Service for home-based urgent care, and a Navigation Hub for complex case management. These services work together to support primary and secondary care by directing patients to the most appropriate care pathways, reducing unnecessary hospital admissions, and ensuring continuity of care across the local health system.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Clinical Assessment Service (CAS) An intermediate clinical service providing enhanced clinical triage assessment following initial NHS 111/111 online or 999 referrals, staffed by senior nurses, pharmacists, and GPs who direct patients to appropriate care pathways.
• Out of Hours Service Unscheduled primary healthcare delivered 24 hours per day, 365 days per year to Pennine Lancashire populations, accessed via NHS 111, 999, or healthcare professional referrals, providing urgent medical attention when GP practices are closed.
• Acute Visiting Service (AVS) A home visit service for urgent primary care patients who might otherwise need hospital conveyance, available to patients of GP surgeries in Blackburn with Darwen and East Lancashire.
• Navigation Hub A direct interface service with NHS 111 staffed by Nurse Advisers that handles complex cases, providing access to a comprehensive directory of services for Pennine Lancashire and facilitating transfers or referrals for patients at risk of hospital admittance.
• Social Prescribing Services Social prescribing services connecting patients to community support through local Community Voluntary Services (CVS), including services for children, young people, and adults.

Quantifiable outcome

• 96% of patients would recommend ELMS (Family and Friends Test, April 2023 - Sept 2024)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments2 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

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• HealthwatchminorOthers · 1 August 2025Healthwatch, the patient champion for health and social care, visited ELMS in August 2025 to see services in action and produced a report on their findings.
• Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Commissioning BoardcoreOthersELMS works in close partnership with the Lancashire & South Cumbria Integrated Commissioning Board across the local health system. The ICB commissions ELMS services as part of the NHS urgent care provision in Pennine Lancashire.
• NHS 111coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerELMS provides integrated urgent care services in partnership with NHS 111. NHS 111 is the primary pathway for patients to access ELMS services, with patients being triaged and referred to ELMS for appropriate care.
• Integrated Neighbourhood and Locality TeamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Navigation Hub works with Integrated Neighbourhood and Locality Teams to coordinate care for at-risk patients and facilitate personal care and medicine arrangements.
• Intermediate Care Allocation Team (ICAT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Navigation Hub works with ICAT to facilitate personal care and medicine arrangements for patients at risk of hospital admittance.
• Intensive Home Support Service (IHSS)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Navigation Hub collaborates with IHSS to provide intensive home support to patients at risk of hospital admission.
• Reablement ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Navigation Hub works with Reablement services to support patients in maintaining independence and avoiding hospital admissions.
• Crisis TeamscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Navigation Hub collaborates with Crisis Teams to manage patients experiencing urgent health crises and prevent unnecessary hospital admissions.
• Voluntary SectorcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Navigation Hub works with Voluntary Sector organisations to provide comprehensive support for patients at risk of hospital admittance.
• Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale CVScoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Community Voluntary Services (CVS) for delivering social prescribing services to adults and children/young people in the Burnley, Pendle & Rossendale area.
• Care Quality Commission (CQC)coreOthersELMS is registered with the Care Quality Commission for the delivery of diagnostic and screening procedures covering the range of scheduled and unscheduled care services. CQC Provider ID: 1-199801603.
• ICO (Information Commissioner's Office)minorOthersELMS is registered as a Data Controller on the ICO Data Protection Register under registration number Z114667, demonstrating compliance with GDPR and Data Protection Act 2018.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Medvivo: Medvivo is a UK provider of integrated urgent care, out-of-hours GP, and clinical assessment services commissioned by NHS ICBs in the South West. It is highly comparable to ELMS in service design and NHS-only customer base.
• LCW (London Central & West): LCW is a not-for-profit NHS urgent care cooperative providing out-of-hours primary care, NHS 111, and urgent treatment services in London. Its cooperative/membership structure and service portfolio closely parallel ELMS's model.
• Vocare (part of Totally plc): Vocare is one of the UK's largest NHS-commissioned urgent care providers, offering GP out-of-hours, urgent treatment centres, and NHS 111 clinical assessment. It is a direct competitor to ELMS in the urgent primary care space, though operating at national scale.
• Greenbrook Healthcare: Greenbrook Healthcare operates NHS urgent treatment centres, GP-led health centres, and out-of-hours services across London and the South East. It is comparable to ELMS as a specialized urgent primary care operator within the NHS commissioning framework.
• Devon Doctors: Devon Doctors is a not-for-profit social enterprise providing out-of-hours GP and urgent care services across Devon, commissioned by the local ICB. It mirrors ELMS's cooperative structure and regional NHS-commissioned service scope.
• City Health Care Partnership (CHCP): CHCP is a not-for-profit NHS social enterprise delivering urgent care, out-of-hours, and a wide range of community health services in Hull and East Yorkshire. It is comparable to ELMS in social-enterprise structure and integrated urgent/community care scope.
• DHU Health Care: DHU Health Care is a not-for-profit NHS provider delivering integrated urgent care, NHS 111, out-of-hours GP, and urgent treatment centre services across the East Midlands. It is the closest direct comparator to ELMS in mission, service mix, and NHS-commissioned operating model.
• HUC (Herts Urgent Care): HUC is a not-for-profit NHS provider of NHS 111, out-of-hours GP, and urgent care services in Hertfordshire and West Essex. It operates a comparable urgent primary care stack to ELMS, commissioned by a single regional ICB.

Broad incumbents

• NHS 111 / Integrated Urgent Care providers (national): NHS England commissions integrated urgent care nationally through large regional providers (e.g., London Ambulance Service NHS 111, West Midlands IUC). These are broader incumbents competing for the same ICB contracts that ELMS relies on for revenue.
• Practice Plus Group: Practice Plus Group is a larger, diversified independent healthcare provider delivering urgent treatment centres, out-of-hours, and elective services to the NHS. It overlaps with ELMS on urgent primary care but operates a broader portfolio including secondary care.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ELMS_NFP
• Facebookfacebook.com/100038918006438

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles12 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 East Lancashire Medical Services