Case Study
August 2026
About The Client
Cedars-Sinai is one of the most recognised names in global healthcare. Founded in Los Angeles in the early 1900s, the Cedars-Sinai Health System has grown to employ over 20,000 people across multiple hospitals and international partnerships spanning the GCC, South America, Singapore, and beyond.
Cedars-Sinai UK represents a significant milestone, the first solely owned Cedars-Sinai facility outside of Los Angeles. Operating as a not-for-profit private medical centre, the UK business launched in early 2025, initially from a temporary clinic in London before opening its flagship premises on Cavendish Street. With a partnership already in place with Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Trust, and ambitions to expand further into Europe and the Middle East, the UK operation is built for serious growth.
The Challenge
Launching a regulated, clinical business in the UK from scratch is no small undertaking. Cedars-Sinai UK needed to establish a legal entity, build financial processes from the ground up, navigate CQC registration, manage a significant clinic fit-out, and do all of this while maintaining the exceptional standards the Cedars-Sinai name demands globally.
They needed more than an accountant. They needed a partner who could think ahead, move at pace, embed themselves into the business and be straight-talking when it mattered most, someone equally comfortable in the detail of a supplier invoice and the bigger picture of operational risk.
“Cedars-Sinai always has the best. When it comes to their legal and accounting support, they're going to go for the best. So obviously Surrey Hills Accountancy came highly recommended."
Siobhán Palmer
Operations Manager at Cedars-Sinai UK
The Solution
Surrey Hills Accountancy was brought in at the very beginning, involved even before the business formally existed, supporting the setup of the UK entity itself. From that point, the team embedded themselves into the operational fabric of Cedars-Sinai UK, learning how business works, how patients are seen, how revenue flows and where the risks lie.
Day-to-day, SHA manages:
- Bookkeeping, bank reconciliation and banking management.
- Invoice processing, supplier payments and staff expenses.
- Revenue reconciliation and billing systems support.
- Management accounts, budgeting and forecasting.
SHA played an active role in the setup and launch of the new clinic, reviewing and managing invoices during the fit-out, supporting CQC registration, and helping stress-test operational processes before the doors opened to patients. They also proactively identified gaps across the wider business, flagging areas such as insurance, IT systems and internal procedures, before they became problems.
Processes are built collaboratively, and when something isn’t working, SHA are straight-talking about it and quick to adapt.
“We set up the process together, then check in regularly to see that it’s working, and we’ve already made several changes based on the needs of the business”
The Results
- The UK legal entity was set up correctly from the outset, with SHA supporting the company formation process.
- Financial processes were designed and implemented ahead of the clinic launch, scalable, compliant and fit for a growing operation.
- SHA actively managed supplier invoices throughout the clinic fit-out, providing financial oversight during a critical and high-spend period.
- CQC registration was supported with the right financial and operational documentation in place.
- Management accounts, budgeting and forecasting are now embedded, giving leadership clear visibility as the business scales.
- Wider operational gaps were identified and addressed proactively, from insurance to IT systems to internal processes.
- A collaborative, trusted partnership is in place, with the team accessible, responsive and deeply familiar with the business.
“Setting this up from scratch, bringing the accounting knowledge, billing knowledge, financial knowledge, it’s on a different level. What Surrey Hills Accountancy have given us is the ability to develop this from the ground up.”
Why This Matters
For any fast-growing organisation, the foundations you build early define how well you can scale later. Getting the wrong support at the start, or support that’s too passive, too narrow, or too slow, creates problems that are expensive and disruptive to unpick.
SHA’s approach with Cedars-Sinai UK demonstrates what embedded operational finance partnership look’s like in practice. Not a firm that files your accounts and waits for instructions. A team that sits alongside you, understands your business inside out, challenges your thinking where needed and helps you build something that lasts.
As Cedars-Sinai UK continues to grow, there will be more patients, more complexity, and potentially new markets, SHA will grow with them. That’s what a true operational partnership looks like.
“We would highly recommend them. They’re a lovely team — they’re just fantastic”
Looking For More Than Compliance?
If you’re an ambitious, fast-growing business, who needs more than an accountant. We embed ourselves in your business, build the right foundations and grow with you every step of the way, Surrey Hills Accountancy can help.