Chex

What Chex does

CHEX (Community Health Exchange) is a Scotland-wide coordination and policy network that promotes community-led health approaches to address persistent health inequalities. Operated as a programme of the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC), a company limited by guarantee (SC361532) and Scottish charity (SC040614), CHEX convenes community organisations, NHS boards, local authorities, and policymakers through free membership, an annual conference, a searchable database of community-led health organisations, policy briefings, and consultation responses. Its core offerings include the Snippets fortnightly e-bulletin, the CHEX-Point quarterly newsletter, the Health Issues in the Community (HIIC) training course, the Joint Statement on Prevention case study library, and cross-border work via the Common Ground programme with Northern Ireland's Community Development and Health Network.

CHEX's underlying technology is intentionally minimal: the organisation does not develop proprietary software products and operates standard digital infrastructure including a website (chex.org.uk) and a searchable network database. There are no AI, API, or SDK capabilities disclosed in the input. Its substantive 'infrastructure' is the social and institutional network it has built, rather than a technical platform, with a publications archive dating to 2003 serving as a durable content asset.

The business model is that of a third-sector infrastructure charity rather than a commercial entity. CHEX generates no commercial revenue; it is funded primarily by NHS Health Scotland as part of SCDC, with additional partnership support from Public Health Scotland, Scottish Government engagement, and cross-sector co-publisher relationships. Membership and resources are provided at no cost, and the organisation's value is realised through policy influence, knowledge dissemination, and convening rather than transactional pricing. Primary beneficiaries are community-led health organisations across Scotland's 14 health board areas, with secondary engagement from NHS bodies, local authorities, and national policymakers.

Name

Chex

Legal name

Scottish Community Development Centre

Website

https://chex.org.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

CHEX (Community Health Exchange) is a Scotland-wide nonprofit network operated by SCDC that promotes community-led health to tackle health inequalities, serving voluntary organisations, NHS bodies, local authorities, and policymakers through free membership, publications, conferences, and policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Glasgow

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Grant funding and organizational support: CHEX is funded through NHS Health Scotland and operates as part of the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC). As a third sector intermediary organization, it does not generate commercial revenue but relies on public funding and grants to support its network activities.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

CHEX is a community-led health network operated by the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC) that promotes community-led approaches to health across Scotland. It tackles health inequalities by convening community organizations, NHS bodies, and local authorities through a free membership network, training courses, an annual conference, publications, and policy consultation responses. The network provides resources, briefings, and case studies to support community health practitioners and advocates working to reduce health disparities.

Product overview

CHEX (The Community Health Exchange) is a coordination and support network—not a traditional product company—that promotes community-led health approaches across Scotland to tackle persistent health inequalities. Operated by the Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC), CHEX's offerings are service and network-oriented rather than software-based. The portfolio includes: Snippets (fortnightly e-bulletin) and CHEX-Point (quarterly newsletter) for sector communication; the annual CHEX Conference for knowledge exchange; a searchable Network Database of community-led health organisations; the Health Issues in the Community (HIIC) training course; Prevention Resources and case studies developed through partnerships; Policy Consultation Responses and Briefing publications on health and community development topics; and network membership providing access to resources and consultation opportunities. These offerings work together as a comprehensive support ecosystem for community-led health practitioners.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• CHEX Network Membership

Quantifiable outcome

• Nearly 100 organizations attended the 2026 CHEX conference focused on implementation of community-led health
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 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

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Edinburgh Community Health ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Joint publisher of the A Joint Statement on Prevention along with other national and local third and community sector intermediaries. Partnership calls for urgent action to tackle Scotland's growing health inequalities crisis.
• Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Joint publisher of the A Joint Statement on Prevention addressing preventative approaches to health inequalities. Alliance represents a network of over 3,000 members including disabled people, people living with long term conditions, and unpaid carers.
• Voluntary Health ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 September 2025Joint publisher of the A Joint Statement on Prevention. Voluntary Health Scotland is a national charity focusing on health improvement and health inequalities in Scotland.
• Scottish Community Development Centre (SCDC)coreOthersCHEX is part of SCDC. SCDC is the parent organization - a company limited by guarantee (SC361532) and Scottish charity (SC040614). SCDC provides organizational support and infrastructure for CHEX programmes.
• Public Health ScotlandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHEX advocates for Public Health Scotland to support community-led approaches, be a community planning partner, and adhere to National Standards for Community Engagement. Ruth Glassborow from Public Health Scotland participates in CHEX conferences as a 'listening' delegate.
• Scottish GovernmentminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCHEX engages with Scottish Government through consultation responses and policy briefings. Represented at Glasgow policy roundtable as part of Common Ground programme.
• University of EdinburghminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr Sarah Anderson from University of Edinburgh writes about inclusion health partnerships and the university's Community Plan 2025-30. University participates in CHEX network activities and events.
• Community Development and Health Network (CDHN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCDHN is a regional infrastructure organization in Northern Ireland working with local communities to take action on social determinants of health. CHEX partners with CDHN on the Common Ground programme - a cross-border initiative to strengthen community development in health.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Scottish Council for Voluntary Organisations (SCVO): Scotland's national umbrella body for the voluntary sector, providing broader infrastructure support to charities and social enterprises. SCVO serves as a wider-incumbent peer whose portfolio encompasses but is not specialized in community-led health.
• Public Health Scotland: Scotland's national public health body and a strategic partner to CHEX. While overlapping in mission on community-led approaches and health inequalities, Public Health Scotland is a statutory body with a broader public-health mandate and not a community-led intermediary.
• Joseph Rowntree Foundation: UK-wide research and policy foundation focused on poverty and disadvantage as drivers of health inequalities. Comparable to CHEX in its emphasis on social determinants but operates at a much larger UK-wide scale.

Others

• New Economics Foundation: UK think tank working on community wellbeing, economics, and health. Thematically related to CHEX's community-led health approach through its work on social determinants and community empowerment, though operating primarily as a research and advocacy think tank.

Direct peers

• Voluntary Health Scotland: National Scottish charity focused on health improvement and health inequalities, also a co-publisher of the Joint Statement on Prevention. Operates as a peer intermediary with overlapping focus on voluntary sector engagement in health policy.
• Health and Social Care Alliance Scotland (the ALLIANCE): Scotland's national third-sector intermediary for health and social care, representing 3,000+ member organizations. The ALLIANCE shares CHEX's model of convening disabled people, those with long-term conditions, and carers, and co-authored the Joint Statement on Prevention.
• Glasgow Centre for Population Health: Public health research and policy body based in Glasgow addressing health inequalities and the social determinants of health in Scotland. Shares CHEX's focus on evidence-based approaches to community-led prevention, though primarily research-led rather than network-led.
• Scottish Co-production Network: A sister programme within SCDC that promotes co-production approaches across public services in Scotland. Operates as a closely related peer within the same parent organizational structure, sharing infrastructure and overlapping membership.
• Community Development and Health Network (CDHN): Northern Ireland's national infrastructure body for community development in health, operating as a direct functional counterpart to CHEX. CDHN works with local communities to address social determinants of health and is CHEX's formal cross-border partner on the Common Ground programme.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/chex_org
• Facebookfacebook.com/ScottishCommunityDevelopmentCentre
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/chex

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 Chex