We’re delighted to share with you that 2025 marks Orr Medical’s 15th year! To celebrate, we’re taking a look back at 15 years in business.
Dr Matt Orr: Founder of Orr Medical
The first in his family to attend university, Dr Matt Orr studied medicine at St Andrew’s University and The University of Manchester, qualifying as a doctor in 2000 before becoming a GP in 2004.
What followed was a long and varied career both within the NHS, and outside of it, including a decade as a partner at Withnell Health Centre, time spent working with Bowland Pennine Mountain Rescue, and a stint as a medical advisor to one of the nation’s favourite TV soaps - Coronation Street
However, first and foremost, Dr Matt Orr considers himself a doctor, and so he continues to work as a locum one day a week to maintain his clinical skills and do what he loves best - helping his patients.
So what exactly led to him taking the leap of founding Orr Medical 15 years ago?
Medical Adviser Services For Fostering and Adoption
In 2008, Lancashire County Council asked Dr Matt Orr to join a fostering and adoption medical panel. The role was new to him, but he immediately found it fascinating.
Having worked for the Care Quality Commission (CQC) previously, he’d always had an interest in the procedural side of healthcare, and it was rewarding to know that he was playing a role in helping children find safe and loving homes.
Describing himself as someone who likes to solve problems and find efficient solutions to issues, Dr Orr immediately recognised that there was a need for a service that would help local authorities, and fostering and adoption agencies to carry out thorough medical assessments of potential adopters and foster carers without delay.
This, then, led to the creation of Orr Medical, and informed the services it continues to offer today.
Orr Medical helps Local Authorities and fostering and adoption agencies across the UK, by handling medical assessments, completing medical reports, sitting on panels, and providing temporary medical advisor cover.
We play an integral role in the assessment process for foster carers and prospective adopters, and work with the agencies involved to remove unnecessary delays in helping children to find the right home.
Medical Assessments and Reports
We offer a GP-led medical assessment service designed specifically for prospective foster carers and adopters. This includes face-to-face appointments with applicants, up-to-date health data, and any further examinations deemed necessary in order to complete either a Form AH (Adult Health Report) assessment or Form AH2 (Adult Health Report Review).
We also provide detailed fostering and adoption medical reports that give an accurate and detailed overview of an applicant’s health, so that agencies have all the information they need to make decisions.
Medical Advisor Service
Our dedicated medical adviser service offers in-depth medical reports in conjunction with tailored recommendations and ongoing support.
Temporary Cover
We also provide temporary medical advisor cover for fostering and adoption agencies to ensure operations can continue seamlessly despite annual leave, sickness and absence or recruitment delays.
Expert Guidance and Advice
At Orr Medical we pride ourselves on being there when you need us, whether it’s that burning question that needs answering before a fostering panel, or a query about the implications of a long-term health condition. We’re always a phone call away.
Other Services
We also provide clinical triage services to our local Integrated Care Board (ICB) via our Referral Triage service.This specialist service aims to enhance the efficiency of GP referrals to secondary care within the NHS, reducing unnecessary referrals, and identifying the most efficient care pathways, resulting in lower costs, reduced demand on resources, and a more streamlined patient experience with potentially reduced waiting times.
Growth & Development
Over the past 15 years, Orr Medical has gone from strength to strength. Growing from a single GP to a group of four GPs working together, led by Dr Matt Orr.
We’re based in the North West but work with clients throughout the UK. We currently have around 60 clients and this number is increasing year-on-year, with most new clients finding us through word of mouth and recommendations from our existing clients.
We pride ourselves on keeping up-to-date with recent developments in medical practice and in fostering and adoption policies and practice. For example, Dr Matt Orr attends the CoramBAFF medical adviser training and is a member of the CoramBAAF medical group.
Looking to the Future
As always at Orr Medical, we’re looking to the future, and we have some exciting plans in the pipeline!
We were recently sought out to provide medical oversight on behalf of a government regulatory department, and have been able to step in at very short notice to take over the service. As such, we’re looking to add a similar service to our portfolio in the near future, along with occupational health services, which we are regularly asked to provide.
We’re always looking for where we can make a real difference by improving a service or finding ways to work more efficiently. Ultimately, our goal is always to ensure the best possible process for the individuals we work with. Our feedback, both from clients and applicants, is always amazing, and hearing about the difference we’ve made always makes us very proud of what we have achieved.
Our first 15 years in business have been fantastic, now here’s to the next 15!
Orr Medical: Work With Us
At Orr Medical, we’re proud of the service we’ve built over the last 15 years. We remain committed to supporting fostering and adoption agencies by providing thorough, efficient medical advisor services that meet their needs, as well as supporting individual applicants who are hoping to foster or adopt.
We work with an extensive range of clients all across the UK, including large county councils, small fostering agencies, and everything in-between!
If you think you could benefit from our support, or want to find out more about the services we offer, please don’t hesitate to get in touch or call us on 01772 915861.
We look forward to hearing from you!