Partnerships and Investments
With 30 years of experience of working within the healthcare sector and our extensive NHS penetration of C-suite contacts, Liaison Group is proactively increasing its position as an investor, acquirer and critical partner. Having led in NHS finance and workforce innovations, building unique solutions ourselves we have passionate NHS focused people, but we know that many great ideas and innovations can come from outside of our company too. That’s why partnerships and collaborating with other businesses is a fundamental part of our business strategy to change the global healthcare economy.
In this section you can find out how we’ve developed our reputation and reach in the NHS that we are proud of today, what we’re looking for, and how to get in touch.
Our Track Record
From our origins of NHS VAT advisory services, we developed NHS forensic review services in 1998 and pioneered temporary workforce cost reduction services in 2011 and introduced Continuing Healthcare financial services.
We’re currently delivering our financial and workforce expertise and innovation into the majority of NHS organisations including Clinical Commissioning Groups, trusts and health boards. Our relationships started in finance and now include NHS Chief Executives, workforce and clinical leads for whom we deliver savings of over £100m a year.
We know the healthcare economy, and it benefits greatly from our approach to improve speed to market and likelihood of success of our products and services. We have proven success in getting to 40% NHS market penetration of new innovations within two years.
Liaison Group as a Partner
We know what success looks like. We’ve grown from a small team of VAT consultants in 1998 to an award winning, forward-thinking, privately-owned firm of 250 (and growing) employees today.
We’re looking for partners that demonstrate a real passion for the NHS and have innovations they are seeking to get penetrated into the healthcare sector.
Liaison Group has inspired and developed services within the NHS that have delivered tangible cost savings and real efficiencies. But we know that growth comes from finding like-minded businesses and sharing our ideas and visions. Our business structure is designed to encourage collaboration and innovation – and then deliver on it.
We’re looking for inspirational forward-thinking joint ventures, shared revenue or incredible investments that will match our healthcare economy portfolio, saving the NHS money, delivering CHC process improvements and efficiencies or creating workforce efficiencies that are worthy of our reputation.
In return, healthcare innovators will have access to a central pool of Liaison’s shared services, such as proven sales structure and NHS relationships, development and research, finance expertise, and marketing support.
Our Investment Journey
Liaison Onecall
In 2012 we embarked upon a joint venture with Onecall and Liaison Onecall was launched.
Onecall was set up 18 years ago in 2001 as the UK’s first technology salary sacrifice provider – winning an NHS award for “good practice” in delivering staff benefits within its first few years.
Prior to the joint venture with Liaison, Onecall ran the largest salary sacrifice campaign for supermarket giant Tesco – selling £23,000,000 of computers to 184,000 staff in just four weeks. Onecall continues to lead the way as the first provider to introduce smart TVs, white goods and health and fitness equipment to the benefits scheme. Onecall also holds strategic relationships with AO.com and Softcat PLC.
The attraction of the Liaison joint venture for Onecall was our access to its target market of 300+ NHS clients, from small to large trusts and health boards with budgets of up to £1,800m and up to 30,000 staff. The Joint Venture continues to deliver and has proven retention and wellbeing benefits saving the NHS substantially on attrition each year.
Liaison Technology
In 2013, following the acquisition of medical staffing technology firm 3 Blue Dots, Liaison Technology was launched to market.
Liaison Technology now provides and supports many of the systems behind our growing range of workforce management services for the NHS.
Activ8 Intelligence
In 2016 we acquired HR analytics business Activ8 Intelligence. Activ8 provides advanced, analytical HR software that helps organisations more effectively manage their workforce, develop and retain key talent and provide relevant and important insights to HR and management.
This move, coupled with our consultancy expertise, enables us to now also help trusts and boards manage their permanent workforce more efficiently and effectively too.
Activ8’s award-winning ‘Mission Control’ software consolidates and categorises data from any or all of an organisation’s existing HR systems and automatically seeks out hidden insights and trends. It enables us to offer our clients a total workforce management solution with greater data interrogation across their temporary and substantive workforce, helping to inform workforce strategy.
Infinity Health
In August 2020, Liaison Group announced the completion of a strategic investment into digital workflow providers, Infinity Health.
Infinity Health are the creators of the HSJ-award winning digital tool Infinity, which was formed to transform the way healthcare professionals coordinate care and communicate around their patients.
Liaison’s investment in the company aims to support its ongoing efforts in continuing to change the global health economy, and will allow more trusts to access the tool and the benefits that digitising task management can bring to the NHS.
We are already involved in partnerships and investments with external partners, but we are always keen to hear from you if you share our passion for the NHS.
Vanessa Forster is Liaison Group’s Investments & Partnerships Director. You can contact her for an exploratory discussion via vforster@liaisongroupold.com or connect with Vanessa via LinkedIn.