Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd
Building a complete UK HR function from the ground up, in one of the most regulated sectors in the country.
Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd
Cedars-Sinai is one of the world's most respected healthcare organisations, consistently ranked among the leading hospital systems in the United States. Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd is the organisation's UK operating entity, established to bring that expertise into the British healthcare market and deliver world-class clinical services to patients in the UK.
When the UK leadership team first approached us in May 2024, the business comprised two founding doctors and an operations lead, all working as contractors. There was no employed workforce, no UK HR infrastructure, and no established governance framework. The ambition was significant. The timeline was tight. And the regulatory environment left no margin for error.
Why did Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd approach us?
Our track record in private healthcare made us a natural fit. We had previously supported The Mayo Clinic on a comparable project when they established their UK clinic in London, helping them achieve a successful first CQC inspection. That experience, working within a US parent culture and translating it into a UK regulatory and employment law context, was directly relevant to what Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd needed.
The task was to build a complete UK HR function from scratch, quickly enough to bring the founding team into employment within three months, and robustly enough to withstand the scrutiny of a CQC registration process. Every people decision would carry direct implications for patient safety, regulatory compliance and the long-term credibility of the UK operation. The leadership team needed a partner who had navigated this territory before.
How we worked with Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd
We were embedded in the leadership team's decision-making from the outset. Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd had a strong US parent culture and a clear set of values. Our job was to translate those into a UK context that would satisfy regulators and feel genuinely aligned with who they are as an organisation, without losing what made them distinctive.
We tackled critical work across reward, compliance, payroll, recruitment and HR operations in parallel, working across every workstream simultaneously while the business was operating through a CQC-registered partner and preparing to deliver services from its own premises.
We sourced a payroll provider, implemented an HRIS and mandatory training systems, and benchmarked physician and senior leadership packages against the UK healthcare market. We worked with specialist brokers to establish group benefit policies covering pension, life assurance and private medical insurance.
We also produced a full UK employee handbook that aligned to Cedars-Sinai's US values and UK employment law, alongside 15 standalone policies covering the full range of employment and governance requirements. As the business prepared for CQC registration, we advised on workforce governance expectations, policy alignment with regulatory requirements, and how people compliance demonstrates safe and effective care to inspectors.
“The team has been wonderful to work with. I'm so impressed.”
Bridget Galvin, Director of HR Integration, Cedars-Sinai
The Result
In under two years, Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd has grown from three contractors to a team of approximately 15 employed staff. All HR infrastructure is in place, tested and audit-ready. All pre-registration requirements for standalone CQC registration have been submitted and accepted, and the business is now awaiting the inspection visit. We will be present alongside the leadership team to represent the people function when that happens.
The relationship has evolved significantly since we began. We started as implementers, working to direction from the UK leadership team. We are now invited to join their UK Senior Leadership Team meetings as a standing attendee. That shift reflects what happens when the HR function earns its place: it stops being something that is managed and becomes something that helps manage.
We continue to work with Cedars-Sinai UK Ltd as an embedded part of their leadership team, supporting them through the next stages of growth as the UK operation expands.