Dearden HR

What Dearden HR does

Dearden HR Limited is a UK-based boutique HR and Organisational Development consultancy operating since 1998 from Reigate, Surrey. The firm delivers bespoke, project-based people and OD solutions to NHS trusts, central government bodies, local authorities, charities, and private sector organisations, with a primary specialism in complex, challenged, and turnaround situations across the NHS. Service lines include managing significant change (restructures, TUPE, cost improvement), employee relations and just culture transformation, clinical productivity and medical job planning (delivered jointly with sister company Kingsgate), strategic workforce planning, mediation, pay and grading design, and HRMIS review. Specialist sub-brand Jane Cole Associates, acquired in September 2018, provides medical staffing training and consultancy.

The business operates as a site-less, digital-first consultancy with no proprietary technology platform; competitive advantage derives from the human expertise of approximately 15 staff, including four senior directors with substantive NHS HR Director-level experience, rather than software IP. Revenue is generated through negotiated per-engagement professional services fees, with multi-year contracts for complex programmes and project-based billing for defined deliverables. Client acquisition relies on direct sales, peer referrals within NHS Chair/CEO networks, and approved supplier status on Crown Commercial Service (RM3745), Management Consultancy Framework Two (MCF2), and Local Government Resourcing Partnership frameworks. The firm has been awarded Personnel Today's HR Consultancy of the Year 2021 and holds ISO 9001, ISO 14001, Cyber Essentials Plus, and Green Mark Level 3 certifications, with Net Zero operational status achieved in October 2024.

Name

Dearden HR

Legal name

Dearden HR Limited

Website

https://deardenhr.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

1998

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Dearden HR is a UK boutique HR and Organisational Development consultancy, founded in 1998 in Reigate, Surrey, serving NHS trusts, public sector bodies, charities, and private organisations with bespoke people solutions including change management, employee relations transformation, and clinical productivity.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

HR & Organisational Development Consultancy

NAICS

Human Resources Consulting Services (541612)

SIC

Services-Management Consulting Services (8742)

akta.pro primary industry

Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAE)

akta.pro secondary industry

HR Service Delivery, Shared Services & HR Operating Model Advisory (BPACAJAE)

Keywords

• HR consultancy services
• Organisational development
• Workforce planning
• Employee relations advisory
• Change management consulting

Headquarters

HQ city

Reigate

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. HR & OD Consultancy Services: Dearden HR generates revenue through bespoke consulting engagements, providing HR and Organisational Development advisory services on a project-by-project basis. Engagements cover areas including managing significant change, employee relations, leadership development, clinical productivity, mediation and conflict resolution, and workforce planning. Revenue is earned through professional services fees for delivered consultancy.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Dearden HR is a boutique HR and Organisational Development consultancy delivering bespoke, hands-on people solutions for NHS Trusts, public sector bodies, charities, and private organisations. Engagements cover managing significant change, employee relations and just-culture transformation, leadership development, clinical and medical workforce productivity, mediation, strategic workforce planning, HRMIS reviews, TUPE transfers, and pay and reward framework design.

Product overview

Dearden HR is a boutique HR consultancy firm offering a comprehensive suite of bespoke people and Organisational Development solutions. Their core offering encompasses HR & OD Support Services, Managing Significant Change, Individual & Team Development, Employee Relations, Mediation & Conflict Resolution, and Clinical Productivity Solutions (delivered in partnership with sister company Kingsgate). Additional specialized services include Strategic Workforce Planning, HRMIS Review, TUPE Transfer Services, Just Culture Implementation, and Pay & Grading Structure Design. The firm also operates Jane Cole Associates (acquired in 2018) as a specialist sub-brand for medical staffing consultancy. Together with Kingsgate, the group provides integrated change management and HR solutions across NHS, public, private, and third sectors.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• HR & OD Support Services General HR and Organisational Development consultancy providing bespoke solutions for complex and challenging people issues across NHS, public, private and third sector organisations.
• Managing Significant Change Transformational change consultancy covering restructuring, redundancy, cost improvement plans, skill mix changes and organisational development advice for complex organisations.
• Employee Relations and Just Culture Implementation Complex employee relations management including trade union negotiations, executive board collaboration, just-culture reorientation from blame to compassion and learning, and policy and process redesign.
• Individual and Team Development Leadership and management development programmes, talent pool development and succession planning to embed vision, values and behaviours across client organisations.
• Mediation and Conflict Resolution Voluntary confidential mediation process enabling disputing parties to resolve conflicts with neutral third-party assistance, plus facilitative discussions for mutual concerns.
• Clinical Productivity Solutions

Quantifiable outcome

• 99.1% employee agreement rate to new pay and reward framework for the Electoral Commission (200+ employees)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers15 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Jane Cole AssociatescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerJane Cole Associates (JCA) is a leading professional services company providing training and consultancy to NHS Trusts and other organisations who employ doctors and dentists. JCA runs a bi-annual Medical Staffing Masterclass open to all. Dearden HR acquired JCA in 2018, and it operates as a sister company within the group. Seema Ahmed leads JCA's training and consultancy services alongside her role at Dearden HR.
• KingsgatecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerKingsgate delivers successful change for organisations in challenged and difficult situations, providing turnarounds to organisation-wide transformation within both public and private sectors. Kingsgate and Dearden HR frequently work together on combined engagements — notably clinical productivity projects where Kingsgate provides financial and operational management expertise alongside Dearden HR's HR and OD capabilities. Both companies share founders Steve Swayne (Chair of Kingsgate and Dearden HR) and Mark Gammage (MD of Dearden HR). Dearden HR is an approved key subcontractor to Kingsgate on the Crown Commercial Service MCF2 framework.
• TricordantminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDearden HR partnered with Tricordant to deliver the Strategic Workforce Planning (SWP) programme for HM Land Registry in 2022. Tricordant provided specialist SWP expertise alongside Dearden HR's consulting delivery capabilities. The engagement involved Nick and Clare from Dearden HR working with Tricordant consultants.
• Crown Commercial Service (CCS)coreOthersDearden HR is an approved supplier on Crown Commercial Service framework RM3745 for Lot 4 HR Services and is a key subcontractor to Kingsgate under Management Consultancy Framework Two (MCF2/RM6008) for Lot 1 Business Consultancy Services. They are also on the Local Government Resourcing Partnership framework. These frameworks enable direct engagement with public sector clients through established procurement channels.
• Circular EcologyminorOthersCircular Ecology provides carbon offsetting services for Dearden HR, offsetting 100% of unavoidable emissions from business travel and homeworking for the periods 01.10.23-30.09.24 and 01.10.24-30.09.25 to support Dearden HR's Net Zero commitment.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Emerging players

• GatenbySanderson: GatenbySanderson is a UK executive search and leadership consultancy with a strong NHS and public sector practice. Partially comparable given overlapping HR advisory, leadership development, and NHS client base, though more weighted toward executive search than OD transformation.
• Veredus (now part of KPMG): Veredus was a UK public sector HR and OD consultancy that has been absorbed into KPMG. Comparable as a former boutique NHS HR advisory with similar client base, now serving as a useful proxy for the scale ceiling boutique HR consultancies face before being acquired.

Broad incumbents

• Capita (Public Service): Capita delivers outsourced HR, workforce, and transformation services to UK public sector bodies including the NHS. Comparable as a broader incumbent offering adjacent workforce consulting and managed services that overlaps Dearden HR's advisory scope.
• KPMG (UK People & Change practice): KPMG's UK People & Change practice delivers NHS and public sector workforce transformation, including job planning and clinical productivity engagements. Comparable as a Big 4 incumbent competing on larger integrated NHS mandates.
• Deloitte (UK Human Capital practice): Deloitte's UK Human Capital practice advises NHS, central government, and large employers on workforce, OD, and HR transformation. Comparable as a broad incumbent offering overlapping capabilities at much larger scale than Dearden HR.
• Accenture (UK Public Sector): Accenture's UK public sector practice delivers large-scale NHS transformation, workforce, and digital programmes. Represents the broader incumbent scale competitor that Dearden HR either partners with, subcontracts to, or competes against on bigger NHS deals.

Direct peers

• Hunter Healthcare: Hunter Healthcare is a UK specialist consultancy focused on executive search and HR/OD advisory across the NHS. Closely comparable to Dearden HR in NHS HR leadership advisory, talent, and OD support, with overlapping trust-level client base in the same UK geography.
• Kingsgate: Kingsgate delivers turnaround and transformation in the NHS and public sector, often partnering with Dearden HR on combined HR/operational engagements. Shares founders Steve Swayne (Chair) and works with Mark Gammage's team, making it the most directly aligned counterparty for joint NHS transformation mandates.
• Practicus: Practicus is a UK-based consultancy placing senior interim and transformation professionals into the NHS and wider public sector. Directly comparable to Dearden HR given its focus on NHS workforce, OD, and transformation delivery, with a similar boutique scale and reliance on experienced practitioners rather than technology platforms.
• Tricordant: Tricordant is a specialist workforce planning consultancy that partnered with Dearden HR on the HM Land Registry Strategic Workforce Planning project. Directly comparable given its niche SWP specialism and similar boutique scale targeting UK public sector clients.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/DeardenHr
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/dearden-hr-limited

Compliance10 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Dearden HR