The Royal Free

What The Royal Free does

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust operates four main hospitals in London - Royal Free Hospital (Pond Street, NW3 2QG), Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, and North Middlesex University Hospital - plus satellite sites, employing 10,000+ staff and 734 consultants across 237 outpatient services. The trust delivers comprehensive NHS-funded secondary and tertiary care including emergency services, cancer, kidney transplant and dialysis, maternity, cardiology, and intensive care, and is a teaching trust affiliated with University College London. Its core technology assets are the My RFL Care patient portal for appointment and records access and the Streams clinical alert application (originally co-developed with DeepMind from 2015 and now operated through Google Health UK), which consolidates test results from multiple IT systems into real-time alerts when patients show signs of deterioration such as acute kidney injury; the underlying logic is a registered MHRA medical device built on a decision tree rather than machine learning.

The trust's business model is fundamentally public-sector: NHS commissioning funds the bulk of activity and services are free at point of use, with revenue supplemented by a Private Patients Unit (PPU) offering self-pay and insured consultations, the wholly-owned Hadley Wood Hospital private facility, and the Lyndhurst Rooms outpatient clinic, all of which reinvest profits into NHS services. Customer acquisition runs through NHS e-Referral, GP Liaison services across North Central London, and emergency access, while international private patient referrals are handled through a dedicated PPU channel. Beyond clinical delivery, the trust operates the NIHR Royal Free Clinical Research Facility, with more than 13,000 patients participating in research annually. Operating geographies span London, North London, and the UK, with international private patient activity as an additional channel.

Name

The Royal Free

Legal name

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust

Website

https://royalfree.nhs.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1828

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust operates four London hospitals and 237 outpatient services delivering publicly funded NHS care to NHS patients, supplemented by a Private Patients Unit, Hadley Wood Hospital, and Lyndhurst Rooms for self-pay and international private patients.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Hospital Healthcare Services

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (62211), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (6221), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (622110)

SIC

Services-General Medical & Surgical Hospitals, Nec (8062), Services-Hospitals (8060)

akta.pro primary industry

Community & Regional General Hospitals (HLAFAAAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

International/Medical Tourism Hospital Systems (HLAFAAAN), Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Hospital healthcare services
• NHS clinical services
• Private patient services
• Clinical research programs
• Patient portal access

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Pricing tiers

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust provides publicly funded hospital services across four main sites (Royal Free Hospital, Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, and North Middlesex University Hospital), spanning emergency care, planned surgery, outpatient care, cancer services, kidney transplant and dialysis, maternity, cardiology, and intensive care. It also operates a Private Patients Unit offering private diagnostics, imaging, surgery, and outpatient consultations to self-pay, insured, and international patients, with profits reinvested into NHS services. Supporting capabilities include the My RFL Care Patient Portal and the NIHR Royal Free Clinical Research Facility.

Product overview

The Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust provides clinical hospital services through a network of four main hospitals (Royal Free Hospital, Barnet Hospital, Chase Farm Hospital, North Middlesex University Hospital) and additional satellite sites. The trust offers digital patient services including the My RFL Care Patient Portal for appointment management and health record access, and the Streams clinical alert application (operated via Google Health UK partnership) which provides real-time alerts to clinicians when patient test results indicate risk of deterioration. The trust also operates the NIHR Royal Free Clinical Research Facility supporting clinical research across its sites.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Private Patients Unit (PPU): Private healthcare unit providing treatment to non-NHS national and international patients, wholly owned by the trust with profits reinvested into NHS services.
• Hadley Wood Hospital
• Lyndhurst Rooms

Products and services

• Private Patients Unit (PPU) A dedicated private healthcare unit of the trust offering private consultations, diagnostics, cancer treatment, kidney transplant and dialysis, imaging, and surgery to self-pay and privately insured patients. All profits are reinvested into NHS services for patient benefit.
• Hadley Wood Hospital A private healthcare facility in High Barnet, wholly owned by the trust, offering private diagnostics, imaging and surgery to self-pay and insured patients.
• Lyndhurst Rooms A private outpatient clinic located on the 12th floor of Royal Free Hospital, providing private consultations and outpatient services.
• My RFL Care Patient Portal A patient-facing digital portal enabling Royal Free London patients to view and manage hospital appointments, receive and store hospital letters, and access and interact with their health records online.
• NIHR Royal Free Clinical Research Facility A dedicated clinical research facility supporting investigators with resources and infrastructure for managing research studies at the trust, with more than 13,000 patients participating in research projects each year.

Quantifiable outcome

• More than 13,000 patients participating in clinical research annually

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

AI capability2 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Google Health UKcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2019Following the DeepMind partnership, the Streams app and team moved to Google Health UK to continue development and support more NHS hospitals. The Royal Free London continued working with Google Health UK under new partnership agreements.
• DeepMindcoreTechnology or Integration · 1 September 2015Partnership with DeepMind to develop the Streams app, a secure instant alert application for patient care. The partnership involved data sharing for testing and development of the Streams technology. In 2019, the partnership was transitioned to Google Health UK.
• DHLcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with DHL for non-emergency patient transport services (NEPTS). DHL operates the transport services in partnership with the trust.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• NHS England: The commissioning and oversight body for NHS providers; not a competitor but the principal counterpart that funds, regulates, and sets policy for the trust's operations.
• HCA Healthcare UK: Largest private hospital operator in London, including partnership with Guy's and St Thomas'; relevant peer for the Royal Free's Private Patients Unit and Hadley Wood Hospital private services.

Direct peers

• University College London Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Major London NHS teaching trust located in close geographic proximity to the Royal Free, sharing UCL academic affiliations, complex acute services, and a comparable specialist patient mix in North Central London.
• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust: Major London teaching trust with strong private patient (HCA partnership) and international patient offerings; comparable on specialist services, research scale, and London teaching-hospital model.
• Barts Health NHS Trust: Largest NHS trust in England, operating multiple acute hospitals across East and North East London; directly comparable in scale, multi-site operating model, and London acute care competition.
• King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: South London teaching trust with tertiary services including major trauma, liver, and neurosciences; comparable as a London acute/specialist provider competing for complex referrals.
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust: London-based academic acute trust with five hospitals and a major teaching/research footprint; comparable on tertiary-specialist services, research intensity, and North/West London patient base.

Broad incumbents

• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Addenbrooke's-led teaching trust with strong research and digital health profile (e.g., Epic EHR deployment); comparable as a research-intensive acute provider and innovation partner.
• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust: One of the largest UK NHS trusts by income and headcount, formed via merger of multiple hospitals; comparable as a multi-site academic acute provider at national scale.

Regional players

• Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust: London specialist paediatric teaching trust; comparable as a tertiary research-intensive NHS Foundation Trust in the same city, though focused on a distinct patient population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/royalfreenhs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/royal-free-london-nhs-foundation-trust

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 The Royal Free