South Downs Health and Care

What South Downs Health and Care does

South Downs Health and Care (SDHC) is a UK-based GP Federation and social enterprise founded in 2016, owned by and serving 25 GP practices across Eastbourne, Hailsham, Seaford, and broader East Sussex. Operating as South Downs Health & Care Ltd from its headquarters at the Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing centre in Eastbourne, the federation delivers NHS-commissioned services including evening and weekend appointments, pharmacist and paramedic staffing, care home support, COVID-19 vaccination programmes, virtual ward support, and clinical surge capacity during winter pressures. NHS revenue flows through commissioning arrangements with Sussex ICB and related NHS bodies, with services accessed via GP referrals into the Hillbrow facility.

The federation supplements its NHS portfolio with a Private GP Service launched in 2024, generating margins that are reinvested into NHS services free at the point of care. It also operates the Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing Hub, a charitable venture established in partnership with Wave Active that opened in October 2024 as a community health and wellbeing facility. Core technology is not disclosed; the website stack relies on standard third-party tools (Google Analytics, Google Translate, reCAPTCHA, UserWay accessibility, Ombea forms) with no proprietary AI/ML components identified.

SDHC is led by CEO Dr Nick Harvey and chaired by Dr Paul Frisby, supported by a small board of directors and advisors. With 26 employees, the federation operates as a coordination and shared-resource vehicle for its member practices rather than a large-scale clinical employer. Distribution is regional and relationship-driven: NHS patients are reached via GP referrals and member-practice channels, while private patients access services directly. The model targets the structural squeeze facing small UK GP practices, delivering economies of scale, surge capacity, and clinical specialisms while preserving practice independence.

Name

South Downs Health and Care

Legal name

South Downs Health & Care Ltd

Website

https://sdhc.org.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2016

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

South Downs Health and Care is a UK GP Federation and social enterprise, owned by 25 GP practices across East Sussex, delivering NHS-commissioned services (weekend appointments, virtual wards, vaccinations) and a private GP service from its Eastbourne Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing hub.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Primary Care Services

NAICS

Offices of Physicians (62111), Ambulatory Health Care Services (621)

SIC

Services-Offices & Clinics Of Doctors Of Medicine (8011), Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Health Centers (FQHCs & Look-Alikes) (HLAFAGAB)

Keywords

• GP federation services
• NHS primary care
• Private GP services
• Community healthcare
• Social enterprise health

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastbourne

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NHS Services: SDHC delivers NHS-funded clinical services including evening and weekend appointments, care home support, COVID-19 vaccination programme, and virtual wards support. Revenue is generated through NHS commissioning arrangements.
2. Private GP Services: Private GP services generate margins that are reinvested into NHS services that are free at the point of care. This diversification strategy supports financial sustainability while maintaining community healthcare access.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

SDHC is a GP Federation and social enterprise that delivers NHS-commissioned clinical services (evening and weekend appointments, pharmacist and paramedic staffing, Care Home support, COVID-19 vaccination programmes, virtual ward support, surge capacity) across 25 member practices in East Sussex. It also operates a Private GP Service whose margins are reinvested into free NHS services, alongside the Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing charitable hub.

Product overview

South Downs Health and Care (SDHC) is a GP Federation established in 2016 by GP practices in Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford, now grown to 25 member practices across East Sussex. The organisation operates as a Social Enterprise providing a unified portfolio of NHS services alongside private healthcare options. The core offering consists of NHS GP Federation Services (evening/weekend appointments, pharmacist and paramedic support, Care Home support, COVID-19 vaccination, virtual wards), supported by the charitable venture Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing (community wellbeing hub) and supplemented by a Private GP Service (generating margins reinvested into free NHS services). The portfolio is delivered through Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing centre in Eastbourne.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• SDHC NHS GP Federation Services A federated portfolio of NHS-commissioned primary care services delivered across 25 member GP practices in East Sussex, including evening and weekend appointments, pharmacist and paramedic support, Care Home support, COVID-19 vaccination programmes, virtual ward support, and clinical surge capacity during winter pressures. Intended for NHS patients and member practices in East Sussex.
• Private GP Service A private GP consultation service aimed at local community members seeking timely access to GPs. Margins generated are reinvested into NHS services free at the point of care, supporting SDHC's social enterprise model.
• Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing Hub A community health and wellbeing hub located in Eastbourne, established as a charitable venture with Wave Active to deliver accessible health and wellbeing services to the local community.

Quantifiable outcome

• Expanded from initial GP practices to 25 member practices across East Sussex

Named customers1 record

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Wave ActivecoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2016In partnership with Wave Active, SDHC established the charitable venture Hillbrow Health & Wellbeing. This collaboration aims to enable the best possible health and wellbeing in the community through a dedicated facility.
• 25 GP Practices in East SussexcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSDHC was established by and remains owned by GP practices in Eastbourne, Hailsham and Seaford. These 25 member practices collectively form the GP Federation.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• The Practice Group: UK operator managing NHS GP practices and primary care services; directly comparable to SDHC as a primary care delivery organization providing GP services under NHS contracts across multiple sites.
• Modality Partnership: Large UK GP super-partnership and federation operating across multiple regions; directly comparable to SDHC as a multi-practice primary care federation model delivering NHS services at scale through a member-practice owned structure.

Broad incumbents

• Bupa UK: Major UK private healthcare provider including private GP services; comparable to SDHC's private GP service offering, though as a large established incumbent with national brand, scale, and disclosed pricing across primary, dental, and hospital services.
• Virgin Care (now HCRG Care Group): Major UK independent sector provider of NHS-commissioned community health and primary care services; comparable to SDHC in delivering NHS-funded community-based care, though as a large, multi-service incumbent across multiple regions.
• Operose Health (now HCRG Care Group primary care division): One of the UK's largest NHS primary care providers operating GP practices at scale; comparable to SDHC as a federation/aggregator model delivering NHS-commissioned primary care services, though at significantly larger national scale and now part of HCRG Care Group.

Emerging players

• Doccla: UK virtual ward and remote patient monitoring provider working with NHS; comparable to SDHC's virtual ward service offering in delivering NHS-funded remote clinical care, though focused on tech-enabled monitoring rather than GP federation delivery.
• Push Doctor: UK digital-first private GP service provider offering remote consultations; comparable to SDHC's private GP service in offering primary care access outside traditional NHS channels, though operating through a digital-only delivery model.
• GPDQ: UK private GP service provider offering in-person and remote consultations to consumers and corporates; directly comparable to SDHC's private GP service in the consumer private primary care segment, though with a broader national digital platform.

Regional players

• Sussex Health Partners: Sussex-wide NHS primary care and community services collaborative; comparable to SDHC in coordinating primary care delivery across Sussex practices, though operating as a broader Integrated Care System-aligned partnership.
• Brighton & Hove Federation: GP Federation serving Brighton & Hove practices in Sussex; directly comparable to SDHC as a regional GP federation model in the same Sussex geography, though operating across a different immediate locality.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/SDHC_Fed
• Facebookfacebook.com/SDHCGPFed
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sdhc

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 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 South Downs Health and Care