ASW Assurance

What ASW Assurance does

ASW Assurance is a not-for-profit NHS consortium headquartered in Exeter that delivers internal audit, counter fraud, consultancy, and specialist training services to healthcare organisations across the South West of England. Its client base comprises NHS acute, mental health, and foundation trusts, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and healthcare social enterprises, with the firm operating from five regional offices in Exeter, Bristol, Plymouth, Truro, and Torquay. The organisation functions as a consortium in which member NHS bodies pool their internal audit and counter fraud resources under a shared management structure governed by the ASW Assurance Consortium Board, and it positions itself as the largest specialist provider of internal audit, assurance, and consultancy services to NHS organisations in the South West and the main counter fraud service provider to the NHS in that region.

The core service portfolio spans four lines: Audit and Assurance Services (including cross-organisational reviews and health-economy shared assurance such as STP assurance in Bristol, Devon, and Cornwall); Counter Fraud Services (anti-fraud culture implementation, proactive fraud messaging, sanctions, recovery of defrauded monies, and security management consultancy aligned to NHS Counter Fraud Authority requirements); Consultancy Services (clinical pathway reviews, risk management, board development, information governance and cyber security, estates compliance, financial savings programmes, safeguarding and mental health act reviews, and clinical audit); and Specialist Training Services (bespoke programmes covering information governance, GDPR, risk management, counter fraud e-learning, and board development). The firm's most distinctive proprietary asset is the PSIRF Maturity Assessment Tool, a framework of 35 key lines of enquiry across 9 domains developed with NHS partners and independently evaluated by Health Innovation South West.

Commercially, ASW Assurance operates a managed-services, membership-based revenue model anchored in consortium day-rate delivery rather than external pricing; it states delivery of approximately 6,300 internal audit, counter fraud, and security management days annually to its client base. Distribution is direct via locally-based multidisciplinary teams, supported by content marketing through a corporate website, a recurring Fraud Focus Newsletter, webinars, and co-hosted events with regional health innovation partners. The firm is also a member of The Internal Assurance Network (TIAN), a national collaborative of NHS internal audit and counter fraud providers, which extends its reach beyond its core South West geography.

Name

ASW Assurance

Legal name

ASW Assurance

Website

https://aswassurance.co.uk

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ASW Assurance is a not-for-profit NHS consortium providing internal audit, counter fraud, consultancy, and specialist training to NHS trusts, ICBs, and healthcare social enterprises across the South West of England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Healthcare Internal Audit and Assurance Services

NAICS

Other Accounting Services (541219), Investigation and Personal Background Check Services (561611)

akta.pro primary industry

Audit & Assurance Services (BPAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Fraud Risk Management & Anti-Bribery/Anti-Corruption (ABAC) (BPAHAFAL)

Keywords

• Internal audit services
• Counter fraud services
• NHS consultancy
• Healthcare assurance
• Specialist training

Headquarters

HQ city

Exeter

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices5 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. NHS Consortium Shared Services: ASW Assurance operates as a not-for-profit NHS consortium providing internal audit, counter fraud and consultancy services. Each consortium member organisation pools their internal audit and counter fraud resources to benefit from sharing resources, skills and expertise under a shared management structure. They deliver approximately 6,300 internal audit, counter fraud and security management days annually to their client base.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ASW Assurance delivers internal audit, counter fraud, consultancy and specialist training services to NHS healthcare organisations including acute, mental health and foundation trusts, Integrated Care Boards (ICBs), and social enterprises. Operating as a not-for-profit NHS consortium, the organisation pools member resources to deliver approximately 6,300 internal audit, counter fraud and security management days annually across the South West of England.

Product overview

ASW Assurance is a not-for-profit NHS consortium offering a portfolio of interconnected assurance services to healthcare organisations. The core offerings include Audit and Assurance Services, Counter Fraud Services, Consultancy Services, and Specialist Training Services, all designed to develop and improve governance arrangements for NHS clients. A notable specialized tool is the PSIRF Maturity Assessment Tool, which supports NHS organisations in assessing their Patient Safety Incident Response Framework maturity. The company also publishes the Fraud Focus Newsletter for fraud awareness. All services are delivered by locally-based, multidisciplinary teams across the South West region.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Audit and Assurance Services Internal audit and assurance services delivered to NHS healthcare organisations including acute, mental health and foundation trusts. Focuses on developing and improving governance arrangements, with specialised assurance services, cross-organisational reviews of integration of services and partnerships, and Health Economy shared assurance reviews such as STP assurance in Bristol, Devon and Cornwall.
• Counter Fraud Services Counter fraud services for NHS organisations in the South West. Includes implementing and encouraging an anti-fraud culture, proactive delivery of counter fraud messaging, positive action against fraud including sanctions against perpetrators and recovery of defrauded monies, and meeting and exceeding NHS Counter Fraud Authority requirements. Delivers specialised security management consultancy services and comprehensive anti-crime services.
• Consultancy Services Specialist consultancy services for NHS healthcare organisations. Covers clinical pathway reviews and facilitation, risk management reviews and training, board and senior staff development workshops, information governance and cyber security, estates and health & safety compliance, financial savings programmes and service redesign, post project benefit realisation reviews, safeguarding and mental health act reviews, clinical audit and improvement, and pharmacy and drugs management.
• Specialist Training Services Specialist and bespoke training tailored to individual client requirements. Topics include information governance (cyber security, GDPR and information risk), risk management, risk appetite and assurance framework development, counter fraud e-learning, and Board, Governing Body and Non-Executive / Lay person development.
• PSIRF Maturity Assessment Tool A practical framework designed to help NHS organisations measure progress, share learning and embed continuous improvement in Patient Safety Incident Response Framework (PSIRF) implementation. Reviews 35 key lines of enquiry (KLOEs) across 9 domains. Co-produced with NHS organisations, Acute and Mental Health Trusts, Community Interest Companies and an award-winning provider of PSIRF training, and independently evaluated by Health Innovation South West.

Quantifiable outcome

• Approximately 6,300 internal audit, counter fraud and security management days delivered annually
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Health Innovation South WestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the development and independent evaluation of the ASW PSIRF Maturity Assessment Tool. Health Innovation South West conducted an independent evaluation with results presented through a nationally attended webinar in October 2025. Also collaborated on the April 2025 in-person learning event.
• Health Innovation West of EnglandcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Health Innovation South West on the April 2025 in-person event to share learning from the PSIRF Maturity Assessment Pilot programme.
• The Internal Assurance Network (TIAN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerASW Assurance is a member of TIAN, a collaborative group of NHS internal audit and counter fraud providers across England and Wales. TIAN promotes sharing of best practices, resources, and insights to support quality and effectiveness of client services. TIAN members include 360 Assurance, MIAA, Audit Yorkshire, Audit One, Barts Assurance, and ASW Assurance.
• 360 AssuranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS internal audit provider and member of TIAN collaborative network.
• MIAAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS internal audit provider and member of TIAN collaborative network.
• Audit YorkshireminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS internal audit provider and member of TIAN collaborative network.
• Audit OneminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS internal audit provider and member of TIAN collaborative network.
• Barts AssuranceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNHS internal audit provider and member of TIAN collaborative network.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• KPMG UK: Big Four firm with a substantial UK public-sector and NHS advisory practice. Competes for large, complex NHS system-wide assurance and transformation engagements beyond ASW's consortium scale.
• Deloitte UK: Big Four firm with a deep UK public-sector and healthcare practice. Competes for system-level NHS assurance, risk, and transformation mandates where ASW does not have the bench depth.
• Grant Thornton UK: Large UK audit and advisory firm with a public-sector practice serving NHS bodies. Competes for higher-value NHS assurance mandates rather than ASW's core local-trust engagement model.
• RSM UK: Top-10 UK audit and advisory firm with a dedicated NHS and public-sector practice. Competes with ASW on larger NHS assurance and counter fraud mandates but serves a much broader portfolio across multiple sectors.
• BDO UK: Major UK audit and advisory firm with significant public-sector and NHS exposure. Competes for larger, more complex NHS assurance engagements where ASW's resource scale is constrained.

Direct peers

• Audit One: NHS internal audit and counter fraud consortium in the North of England and TIAN member. Comparable in business model, NHS focus, and pooled-resource service delivery.
• 360 Assurance: NHS-focused internal audit and counter fraud consortium and fellow TIAN member. Directly comparable consortium model serving NHS organisations, making it the closest peer in business model and customer base.
• Audit Yorkshire: NHS internal audit consortium covering Yorkshire and the Humber and fellow TIAN member. Operates a near-identical consortium model delivering internal audit, counter fraud and assurance to NHS trusts.
• Barts Assurance: NHS-focused internal audit and assurance provider and fellow TIAN member. Directly comparable niche specialist serving NHS organisations with internal audit and assurance services.
• MIAA: Mersey Internal Audit Agency provides internal audit, counter fraud and consultancy to NHS organisations in the North West and is a fellow TIAN member. Direct peer with near-identical service portfolio and consortium-style governance.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

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 ASW Assurance