What We Do
UK Patient Care provide specialist therapeutic engagement and secure transport services across the UK, working alongside secure children’s homes, NHS organisations, local authorities and care providers to support young people during some of their most challenging moments. Whether we’re responding to an emergency at a hospital, providing reassurance within a residential setting, supporting a young person in the community or undertaking a planned secure transport, our focus is always the same: building trust, reducing anxiety and helping young people feel safe, respected and understood.
Our experienced team receives extensive training in trauma-informed practice, de-escalation, communication, safeguarding, conflict management and understanding behaviour as communication. We know that every interaction matters, and our staff are trained to build positive relationships while maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and safety.
A key part of our approach is recognising that the way we present ourselves can have a significant impact on a young person’s experience. Rather than adopting a traditional security-style appearance, our teams wear a distinctive purple uniform that has been carefully chosen to create a more approachable, reassuring and less intimidating presence. For many young people, particularly those who have experienced trauma or adverse childhood experiences, this can help reduce anxiety and encourage positive engagement from the very first interaction.
A Rapid Response When It Was Needed
Recently, our team was contacted at short notice to support a young person from Adel Beck Secure Children’s Home who required support whilst attending St James’s University Hospital.
With our head office based in Leeds, we were able to deploy an experienced team immediately, arriving at the hospital within 30 minutes of receiving the request.
This rapid response meant the secure children’s home staff could return to continue supporting the other young people in their care, confident that the young person at hospital was receiving safe, compassionate and experienced support.
Building Trust Through Therapeutic Engagement
When our team arrived, our priority wasn’t simply the logistics of the journey home. It was about understanding the young person, building trust and helping them feel comfortable in what could easily have been an overwhelming situation.
Hospitals can be unfamiliar and unsettling environments for anyone, particularly for young people who may already be experiencing heightened emotions or anxiety. Rather than simply supervising the young person, our officers took time to engage with them through conversation, humour and activities, helping to create a calmer and more positive environment.
Our teams always carry a range of therapeutic engagement resources, including board games, playing cards and sensory items. While these may appear simple, they often become valuable tools for building rapport, encouraging communication and helping young people regulate their emotions during stressful situations. Every young person is different, which is why we adapt our approach to meet the individual rather than expecting the individual to adapt to us.
A Safe and Positive Journey Home
Once the young person’s medical treatment had been completed, our team carried out the secure transport back to the home.
By providing both therapeutic engagement and secure transport, we were able to minimise unnecessary waiting, reduce the potential for further distress and ensure continuity of care throughout the entire process.
For us, secure transport is never simply about moving someone safely between locations. It is about ensuring every interaction leaves a positive impression and every young person is treated with dignity, kindness and respect.
Supporting Young People Wherever They Need Us
Our therapeutic engagement service is designed to be flexible around the needs of the young person and the organisations we support.
Our experienced teams regularly provide support in hospitals, secure children’s homes, residential care settings, schools, community environments and during both planned and emergency transport requirements. Every environment presents different challenges, but our approach remains consistent.
Whether we’re supporting a young person attending a hospital appointment, providing reassurance during a difficult day within a care setting, assisting with a transition into the community or responding to an urgent request for secure transport, we focus on creating positive interactions that help reduce anxiety and build confidence.
We work alongside existing care teams rather than replacing them, providing additional capacity and specialist expertise whenever it’s needed. By combining therapeutic engagement with safe, professional transport services, we help organisations maintain continuity of care whilst ensuring young people remain at the centre of everything we do.
Feedback That Makes It All Worthwhile
Following the support provided, we received a letter from the young person which meant a great deal to our team.
Moments like this remind us why therapeutic engagement is so important. It isn’t just about keeping young people safe; it’s about helping them feel valued, listened to and respected during what may be one of the most difficult days they’ve experienced.
Putting People First
At UK Patient Care, positive relationships are at the heart of everything we do.
We are proud to work alongside secure children’s homes, NHS organisations, local authorities and care providers across the UK, delivering therapeutic engagement and secure transport services that are built on professionalism, compassion and trust.
Whether we are responding at short notice or providing planned support, our commitment remains the same: to deliver safe, trauma-informed care that empowers young people, supports partner organisations and always puts people first.
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