UK Primary Care Payment Practices: Above Average, But Wide Disparities Persist

The Numbers

• 19 companies analysed in the UK Primary Care sector.
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 66.3/100.
• UK average PaymentCheck Score: 50.0/100.
• Primary Care average is 16.3 points higher than the overall UK average.
• Top payer: OPTICAL EXPRESS LIMITED (96.5/100).
• Bottom payer: HALEON UK TRADING LIMITED (38.3/100).
• South West region boasts the highest average: 93.9/100 (3 companies).
• North West region has the lowest average: 60.7/100 (6 companies).

What Stands Out

While the Primary Care sector generally pays better than the UK average, the spread of scores reveals considerable inconsistency. Notably, Oasis Dental Care appears twice in the top three, suggesting a strong corporate commitment to prompt payment within that specific group.

Best Payers

1. OPTICAL EXPRESS LIMITED - 96.5/100
2. OASIS DENTAL CARE (SOUTHERN) LIMITED - 94.2/100
3. OASIS DENTAL CARE (CENTRAL) LIMITED - 93.9/100
4. XEON SMILES UK LIMITED - 93.6/100
5. SCRIVENS LIMITED - 87.5/100

Worst Payers

1. HALEON UK TRADING LIMITED - 38.3/100
2. WHITECROSS DENTAL CARE LIMITED - 44.7/100
3. PETRIE TUCKER AND PARTNERS LIMITED - 46.5/100
4. IDH LIMITED - 46.63/100
5. CATALYST HEALTHCARE (ROMFORD) LIMITED - 49.8/100

Regional Patterns

The South West clearly leads the way with an average PaymentCheck Score of 93.9 based on 3 companies, while the North West lags substantially behind at 60.7 across six companies, suggesting regional variations in payment culture and/or financial stability within the sector. Given the sample sizes, however, a deeper investigation of company-specific performance within each region would be needed for a definitive conclusion.

This data can help you understand who pays well and who doesn't, but it's always a good idea to have a plan for dealing with late payments. You can use this late payment calculator to figure out what you're owed.

While Primary Care exceeds the UK average by 16.3 points, HALEON UK TRADING LIMITED, at 38.3/100, has considerable room for improvement to reach the sector's baseline.

2025: The Story

The landscape of Primary Care payments softened in 2025, with the average score across 19 companies falling to 66.3/100, a notable 2.3-point decline from 2024. While overall performance waned, individual stories varied significantly. SCRIVENS LIMITED made an impressive jump, improving its score by 6.9 points to reach 87.5/100, demonstrating a clear focus on payment efficiency. Similarly, DARWIN GROUP LIMITED also showed strong positive movement, adding 8.0 points to hit 72.9/100. On the flip side, GORGEMEAD LIMITED and HCRG CARE LTD both experienced sharp declines, each dropping 5.5 points, ending at 64.7/100 and 87.0/100 respectively, suggesting recent operational challenges impacted their payment timeliness. The addition of OPTICAL EXPRESS LIMITED at a high 96.5/100 also set a new standard for promptness. Suppliers should carefully track these diverging trends, as they highlight critical differences in payment reliability among Primary Care partners.