NHS partnerships
We are a CQC registered, digital first outpatient and elective care service delivering inventive solutions that unlock, create and optimise productivity in healthcare.
Building on more than 10 years of partnerships with the NHS, we have successfully cared for over 160,000 patients, reviewed within an average of 31 hours of referral, with up to 90% of outpatient care managed virtually.
We are driven to improve patient outcomes and relieve pressure on stressed NHS hospital services.
We exist to make specialist care:
- Faster. Patients seen by the right consultant within days, not months.
- Human. Putting compassion, choice and continuity at the Centre of digital care.
- Fairer. Connecting a national consultant network with local systems to ensure patients have equal access to specialist care no matter where they are.
- Smarter. Using data and diagnostics intelligently so that hospital care is reserved for those who truly need it.
- Sustainable. Supporting the environment by reducing unnecessary appointments and travel.
Medefer at a glance
CQC rating
Good
Referrals resolved remotely
Up to 90%
Access for deprived areas
+44.6% (IMD 1–2)1
Interpreter support
240 languages
Patients managed
160,000+
Consultant productivity uplift
200% to 300%
Incident rate
0.41% with zero Never Events(vs 2–3% routine outpatient average)
Average time from referral to review
31 hours
1: SSOT ICB equity analysis (2024)
Our story
Medefer was founded by a group of NHS clinicians in 2013 who saw a system under growing pressure: waiting lists climbing, consultants stretched and patients caught in the middle. Our journey started with a simple question: how can we make specialist care work for today’s NHS and the patients it serves?
We began by testing new ways of connecting people, systems and expertise in practice. From early pilots in gastroenterology to national multi specialty programmes, Medefer has proven that consultant led, digital first care can be safe, fast and equitable.
Our work aligns perfectly with the NHS Long Term Plan and 10 Year Health Plan and was referenced in the PMs announcement of the NHS Online initiative, due to be rolled out in 2027, as an example of how such systems can support the future direction of the NHS.
Medefer
- Is clinically led
- Delivers care closer to home in the communities where it’s needed
- Seamlessly navigates patients across digital and physical settings
- Supports local systems
- Is data driven
- Delivers equitable access to deprived and underserved populations.
Our NHS partnerships
We have helped NHS Trusts, ICBs and primary care teams to:
- Reduce outpatient waiting times from months to days
- Cut backlogs by up to 90% through scalable, remote first pathways
- Validate and risk assess long wait lists, easing pressure on hospital clinics
- Free up local consultant and management time for complex, high value care
- Deliver safe, joined up care closer to home.
How Medefer works
Medefer operates a remote first, national “clinical” grid connecting consultants across the UK.
Clinicians typically work around their existing NHS roles enabling Medefer to deliver seven day a week coverage, all year round. This unlocks otherwise unavailable consultant time, relieving local pressure and improving capacity.
Local partnership networks delivering in person clinics, diagnostic services and community links locally where required.
Medefer operational model:
National expertise, local delivery
Medefer clinical pathway
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Governance and reporting
Transparent, real time reporting on safety, activity and RTT. Our Consultant Quality Assurance programme uses SPC funnel charts to monitor variation.
Local configuration
The platform mirrors local pathways and formularies for seamless system integration.
Our adult specialist services
How the Medefer model fits your system
As a Choice Provider
Medefer is an approved NHS Right to Choose provider, allowing referrals directly through e-RS as an alternative option for patients. This improves access, reduces hospital pressure and provides additional capacity without local recruitment or estate expansion
As a Provider Transfer Partner
As a CQC registered provider, Medefer can take on inter provider transfers of existing long wait or backlog patients to meet recovery standards with full transfer of RTT accountability and reporting.
As a Sub Contractor
We can work under your governance, providing digital infrastructure and consultant capacity as an extension of existing services, linking to your local diagnostics and adding community diagnostic capacity, if required.
What this can mean for your system
- Shorter RTT and DM01 waits: Achieving operational planning requirements
- Reduced administrative burden: Clinical validation, coordination and reporting
- Cost effectiveness: A scalable digital workforce reduces agency and WLI spend
- Better use of local estates and diagnostics: Consistent patient flow and throughput
- Workforce resilience: Immediately available consultant network where recruitment is challenging
- Health inequality improvements: Improved access for IMD 1-2 populations
- Alignment with NHS 10-Year Plan: Supporting prevention, digital and community care
- Elective recovery Support: Stepped increase in clock stop rates to meet national planning framework
Read our partner stories
How we support primary care
Reducing waiting times helps to ease practice
workload and support primary care with timely
access to specialist support when needed.
What this means for your patients
Faster time to treatment, referral is reviewed
within days by GMC registered NHS consultants,
with NHS standard, CQC regulated care.
Patients receive clear communication and real
support, with results and next steps explained in
plain English and shared with their GP ensuring
joined up care.
Safety and governance
Medefer prides itself on safety and governance you can rely on
- CQC registered provider and GMC designated body
- Structured onboarding and training for all clinicians
- Continuous audit and significant event learning
- Integrated dashboards for safety, RTT and performance monitoring
- Interoperability with e-RS and community diagnostics
- Transparent reporting and aligned governance frameworks.
Our alignment with the NHS Long Term Plan
Medefer’s model supports all three pillars of the Government’s plan: Prevention, Personalisation and Performance.
Shifting care upstream, keeping patients closer to home and improving productivity while reducing carbon footprint.
Steps
How Medefer works for NHS patients
Patient with a question?
If you need guidance on our services, get in touch with our friendly team, we’re available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
NHS partners and clinicians
Need guidance on our services? Get in touch with our friendly team, we’re available Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm.
Accreditation and commitments
