Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

What Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust does

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is one of the largest NHS Foundation Trusts in the United Kingdom, operating four major hospital sites across the West Midlands: Good Hope Hospital, Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham (a major acute and teaching hospital), and Solihull Hospital. With more than 20,000 staff members, UHB delivers a comprehensive portfolio of acute clinical services including emergency medicine (with publicly displayed live A&E wait times), outpatient appointments (including phlebotomy), inpatient care, and specialist services spanning cancer care, trauma, organ transplantation, endocrinology, diabetes care, and toxicology. The Trust also runs dedicated research (research.uhb.nhs.uk) and education (education.uhb.nhs.uk) divisions supporting clinical trials and medical training.

The Trust's platform operates as an integrated single-entity network with site-level service delivery, formed through the 2018 merger that absorbed Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust into UHB. Core technology consists of standard NHS healthcare information systems; no proprietary software, AI capabilities, or API surface is disclosed. Revenue is derived entirely from NHS England commissioning contracts and government healthcare budget allocations, with services provided free at the point of use to UK residents under the National Health Service model. Distribution occurs through NHS referral pathways, emergency departments, and outpatient appointment systems. The patient base is horizontal, serving the general public across the West Midlands region.

Name

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust

Legal name

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Website

https://heartofengland.nhs.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

1996

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust is one of the UK's leading NHS trusts, operating four major hospital sites (Good Hope, Heartlands, Queen Elizabeth Birmingham, Solihull) with 20,000+ staff, delivering acute, specialist, research, and education services to the West Midlands population under NHS England funding.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Acute Hospital Services

NAICS

General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (6221)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Safety-Net & Public Hospitals (HLAFAAAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

Hospitals, Clinics & Charitable Healthcare Providers (BPAGACAB)

Keywords

• Acute hospital services
• Emergency medical care
• Outpatient services
• NHS hospital trust
• Cancer treatment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Sutton Coldfield

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. NHS Government Funding: As an NHS Foundation Trust, University Hospitals Birmingham is funded through the UK National Health Service budget allocation from the government, receiving funding based on NHS contracts and service agreements for providing healthcare to the population.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust is a publicly funded NHS hospital trust that delivers secondary and tertiary acute healthcare across four hospital sites in the West Midlands. Services include emergency care, outpatient and inpatient treatment, cancer care, diabetes management, and specialist toxicology services, supported by a workforce of more than 20,000 staff. Following the 2018 merger with University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust, the combined entity operates as one of the largest NHS hospital groups in England.

Product overview

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust operates as a single integrated hospital network with a platform-plus-sites architecture, comprising four hospital sites (Good Hope Hospital, Heartlands Hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham, and Solihull Hospital). The Trust delivers a unified portfolio of acute clinical services spanning emergency medicine, inpatient care, outpatient appointments, diagnostic services (phlebotomy), specialist services (cancer, trauma, transplantation), research, and medical education. Services are coordinated under the UHB brand to serve patients across the West Midlands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Emergency care services Emergency and accident & emergency (A&E) services for patients presenting with acute illness or injury at the Trust's four hospital sites, serving the West Midlands population.
• Outpatient services Outpatient consultations and follow-up care across multiple specialties, delivered at the Trust's hospital sites and clinics.
• Inpatient hospital care Admitted inpatient care for patients requiring hospital stays, including surgical, medical, and specialist ward-based treatment.
• Cancer treatment services Oncology services for cancer diagnosis, treatment, and follow-up care delivered as part of the Trust's specialist portfolio.
• Diabetes care services Specialist diabetes management and treatment services for patients across the West Midlands.
• Clinical toxicology services Specialist clinical toxicology service treating poisoning and overdose cases, functioning as a regional referral service for the West Midlands and beyond.

Quantifiable outcome

• Nurse Consultant shortlisted for Nurse of the Year and Nurse Leader of the Year awards
• +1 more outcomes

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Sir Peter Rigby Charitable TrustcoreOthers · 22 June 2026The Sir Peter Rigby Charitable Trust is providing funding to bring Maggie's cancer support centre to the West Midlands, with a centre planned for Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham. This is a charitable partnership to enhance cancer patient support services in the region.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust: Major London teaching NHS Foundation Trust operating multiple hospital sites and a wide portfolio of specialist services. Closely comparable to UHB as a large NHS Foundation Trust combining general acute services with specialist tertiary work.
• Barts Health NHS Trust: Largest NHS trust in England, operating multiple hospital sites across East London including a major teaching hospital and trauma centre. Comparable to UHB in being a large, multi-site NHS acute provider serving a major metropolitan catchment.
• Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust: One of the largest NHS trusts in England following a major merger, operating several hospital sites across Greater Manchester. Comparable to UHB as a post-merger, multi-site NHS provider of acute and specialist services in a major regional centre.
• Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: NHS Foundation Trust operating Addenbrooke's and the Rosie hospitals, providing general and specialist services alongside a major university. Comparable to UHB in combining an academic medical centre model with NHS Foundation Trust governance.
• Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Major teaching NHS Foundation Trust in the North East providing general and specialist tertiary services. Comparable to UHB as a large regional teaching trust combining general acute care with high-acuity specialties and research.
• Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust: Multi-site NHS trust in London co-located with a top medical school, providing general acute and specialist services. Comparable to UHB in operating an integrated multi-site platform with academic, research and teaching functions.
• King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust: London-based NHS Foundation Trust running multiple hospital sites including a major acute teaching hospital with strong trauma, transplantation and specialist services. Comparable to UHB in scale, teaching hospital status and tertiary specialty mix.
• Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: Large NHS Foundation Trust in South Yorkshire operating multiple hospital sites including a major teaching hospital. Comparable to UHB in scale, teaching status and provision of specialist services to a regional population.
• Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust: NHS Foundation Trust running four hospital sites in and around Oxford, with major teaching, research and specialist functions. Directly comparable to UHB's four-site, platform-plus-sites model with strong academic and tertiary linkages.
• Royal Liverpool University Hospitals NHS Trust: NHS trust operating the Royal Liverpool University Hospital, a major acute teaching hospital providing general and specialist care. Comparable to UHB as a major regional NHS teaching provider with strong tertiary capabilities.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/uhbtrust
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/uhbvideos
• Facebookfacebook.com/uhbtrust
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/uhb
• Instagraminstagram.com/uhbtrust
• TikToktiktok.com/@uhbnhs

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 Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust