National Poisons Information Service (Cardiff Unit)

What National Poisons Information Service (Cardiff Unit) does

The National Poisons Information Service (NPIS) is a UK-wide, publicly commissioned clinical toxicology advisory service operated under the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) on behalf of UK Departments of Health. NPIS provides expert 24-hour telephone advice on the diagnosis, treatment, and care of patients who have been — or may have been — poisoned, either accidentally or intentionally. The service is the designated provider to which frontline NHS staff turn for poisons information, and it also serves members of the public (via NHS 111/NHS 24 in England, Scotland, and Wales; via GP in Northern Ireland; and via direct line in the Republic of Ireland) and industry (Safety Data Sheet submissions).

NPIS is structured as a four-unit national network hosted within NHS Trusts/Health Boards in Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, and Newcastle, with additional on-call medical consultant support from Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust and York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation Trust. Its core technology assets are the TOXBASE online database and mobile application (clinical poisons reference available exclusively to healthcare professionals), the UKTIS (UK Teratology Information Service) database for fetal risk assessment following toxic exposures in pregnancy, and the TOXlearning e-learning platform. The service publishes annual reports (2020/21 through 2024/25) documenting national poisoning trends and clinical activity, and distributes public-facing leaflets on poisoning prevention.

NPIS is not a commercial entity. Its funding flows from public health commissioning by UKHSA, and there is no commercial pricing model, no equity funding, no M&A activity, and no disclosed revenue. The service operates within the UK and Republic of Ireland, with no global commercial footprint. Distribution occurs through NHS clinical pathways (TOXBASE 24h phone line, online/app for registered healthcare professionals, NHS 111 referrals, and direct telephone for Republic of Ireland callers) rather than through commercial sales channels.

Name

National Poisons Information Service (Cardiff Unit)

Legal name

National Poisons Information Service

Website

https://npis.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The National Poisons Information Service is a UK government-commissioned clinical toxicology advisory service, hosted within NHS Trusts, providing 24-hour expert telephone and online poisons advice to frontline NHS staff, the public, and industry across the UK and Republic of Ireland.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Toxicology Information Services

NAICS

Other Scientific and Technical Consulting Services (54169)

SIC

Services-Misc Health & Allied Services, Nec (8090)

akta.pro primary industry

Maternal-Fetal Medicine (High-Risk Pregnancy) Centers (HLAFAJAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

Pregnancy & Prenatal Care Telehealth (OB tele-visits, prenatal monitoring) (HLALAHAC)

Keywords

• Poisons information service
• Clinical toxicology advice
• Teratology information service
• Toxicology database access
• Emergency poisoning hotline

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Public Health Commissioning: NPIS is commissioned by UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as a national public health service on behalf of UK Departments of Health. Funding comes from public health commissioning rather than commercial revenue generation.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

NPIS provides 24-hour expert clinical advice on all aspects of acute and chronic poisoning to healthcare professionals in the UK and Republic of Ireland, via a national telephone advice line and the TOXBASE online database and mobile application. The service also delivers UKTIS (UK Teratology Information Service) fetal risk advice for pregnant women exposed to toxic substances, TOXlearning e-learning resources, and accepts Safety Data Sheet submissions from chemical and pharmaceutical industry clients.

Product overview

NPIS is a national UK health service commissioned by UKHSA that provides expert advice on acute and chronic poisoning. The service operates through four units (Birmingham, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Newcastle) plus two NHS Trusts providing on-call medical consultant support. The core offering consists of TOXBASE (an online database and mobile app for healthcare professionals), UKTIS (UK Teratology Information Service providing fetal risk advice for pregnant women exposed to toxic substances), and TOXlearning (e-learning resource). Services include national telephone enquiry lines available to UK and Republic of Ireland healthcare professionals, with members of the public from the Republic of Ireland able to access the phone line. The organization also publishes annual reports and public-facing leaflets covering poisoning prevention topics.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• TOXBASE: Online database available to healthcare professionals providing information on poisoning incidents and treatments
• TOXBASE app
• UKTIS (UK Teratology Information Service)

Products and services

• TOXBASE Online database and mobile application providing healthcare professionals with expert information on diagnosing and treating poisoning cases, accessible 24 hours a day. Available exclusively to registered healthcare professionals in the UK and Republic of Ireland.
• UKTIS (UK Teratology Information Service) National service providing expert advice on fetal risk following pharmacological and other potentially toxic exposures in pregnant women. Operated from the Newcastle unit.
• TOXlearning E-learning resource providing training materials on clinical toxicology and poisoning management for healthcare professionals.
• NPIS 24-Hour Telephone Advice Line National 24-hour telephone advice line accessed via toxbase.org for healthcare professionals in the UK and Republic of Ireland requiring urgent expert advice on poisoning cases.

Quantifiable outcome

• Annual NPIS reports published documenting national poisoning trends, exposure patterns, and clinical outcomes

Named customers7 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• British Toxicology Society (BTS)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe British Toxicology Society (BTS) is a professional society for all fields of toxicologists. BTS hosts an annual congress where toxicologists from all areas of the discipline come together. NPIS is listed as an Associate on the NPIS website, indicating an affiliated professional relationship. NPIS staff attend BTS congresses and present toxicological data.
• European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEAPCCT was founded in 1964 to advance knowledge and understanding of the diagnosis and treatment of all forms of poisoning. It has 251 members from 51 countries. EAPCCT organizes an annual international congress. NPIS staff regularly attend EAPCCT congresses to present research produced by each unit. Multiple poster presentations from NPIS are documented at EAPCCT congresses from 2015 to 2021.
• American Academy of Clinical Toxicology (AACT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAACT is an international membership organization of over 800 clinical and research toxicologists, physicians, veterinarians, nurses, pharmacists, and allied professionals. AACT is devoted to research, education, prevention and treatment of diseases caused by chemicals, drugs and toxins. NPIS staff contribute to the annual North American Congress of Clinical Toxicology hosted by AACT.
• Middle East and North Africa Clinical Toxicology Association (MENATOX)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerMENATOX aims to facilitate communication between members, promote collaborations that advance care of poisoned patients, and establish meaningful research endeavors. NPIS staff have presented topics at MENATOX congresses, including presentations in Kuwait City in 2019 on MARS and venomous snakes of the MENA region.
• Society of Toxicology (SOT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Society of Toxicology (SOT) is a professional and scholarly organisation of scientists from academic institutions, government, and industry representing the variety of scientists who practice toxicology in the US and abroad. NPIS staff regularly attend SOT congresses to present toxicological data collected by each unit.
• Sandwell and West Birmingham Hospitals NHS TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organisation for NPIS Birmingham unit. All NPIS Birmingham staff are based within this NHS Trust and compliant with local data protection policies. Part of the four-unit national NPIS structure.
• Cardiff and Vale University Health BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organisation for NPIS Cardiff unit. All NPIS Cardiff staff are based within this NHS Health Board and compliant with local data protection policies. Part of the four-unit national NPIS structure.
• NHS LothiancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organisation for NPIS Edinburgh unit. All NPIS Edinburgh staff are based within NHS Lothian and compliant with local data protection policies. Also handles data protection enquiries for NPIS. Part of the four-unit national NPIS structure.
• Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHost organisation for NPIS Newcastle unit and UKTIS. All NPIS Newcastle and UKTIS staff are based within this NHS Trust. Part of the four-unit national NPIS structure.
• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides on-call medical consultant support to NPIS, as one of two NHS Trusts providing this supplementary specialist medical consultant coverage.
• York Teaching Hospital NHS Foundation TrustminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvides on-call medical consultant support to NPIS, as one of two NHS Trusts providing this supplementary specialist medical consultant coverage.

Scale indicators1 record

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Direct peers

• National Capital Poison Center: US-based 24/7 poison information center providing telephone triage, online toxicology guidance, and public education. Directly comparable in mission and delivery model to NPIS, including a national helpline and web/app-based poisons information resource.
• Rocky Mountain Poison & Drug Safety: US poison and drug information service operating a 24-hour helpline, toxicology database, and toxicovigilance analytics. Closely comparable to NPIS in providing authoritative telephone advice and data-driven public health surveillance on poisoning and substance exposures.
• MotherToBaby: US-based teratology information service providing evidence-based risk assessments on medications and other exposures during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Directly comparable to NPIS's UKTIS sub-brand for fetal risk counselling and pregnancy exposure information.

Broad incumbents

• European Network of Teratology Information Services (ENTIS): Network of European teratology information services coordinating research and standards in pregnancy exposure counselling. Comparable to NPIS's UKTIS activities as a peer network of national teratology services providing fetal risk expertise.
• UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA): The government agency that commissions NPIS on behalf of UK Departments of Health. Comparable as a broader UK public health body that NPIS operates within, and which sets the strategic direction and funding for national toxicology and health protection services.

Regional players

• Swedish Poisons Information Centre (Giftinformationscentralen): Sweden's national 24-hour poisons information service providing telephone advice to healthcare professionals and the public. Comparable operating model and mandate to NPIS but serving a different national geography.
• Health Canada - Poison Control Centres: Canadian network of poison control centres providing 24-hour advice to healthcare professionals and the public. Comparable in function and public-sector mandate to NPIS, but operates in a different geography with separate provincial centres.
• NHS 111: UK-wide non-emergency health advice service that routes poisoning calls from members of the public to NPIS in England, Scotland and Wales. Operationally adjacent to NPIS as a referral partner and complementary triage channel for poisoning enquiries.

Others

• European Association of Poisons Centres and Clinical Toxicologists (EAPCCT): International professional association advancing knowledge in poisoning diagnosis and treatment, of which NPIS is an active affiliate and conference participant. Comparable as an ecosystem-level peer and convening body for clinical toxicology rather than a direct competitor.
• Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust: London NHS Trust that provides on-call medical consultant support to NPIS. Comparable as a partner NHS Trust supplying specialist clinical toxicology capacity to the national service rather than as a competing poisons information provider.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

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 National Poisons Information Service (Cardiff Unit)