Founded in 2018, Care Messenger is a North East based technology company dedicated to transforming communication for elderly individuals in healthcare settings, supported living communities and domiciliary care environments, such as individuals receiving professional care and support within their own homes.
In partnership with global TV manufacturer LG, the business developed an intuitive TV based video calling and messaging platform designed specifically with older users in mind. By overlaying messaging and video call functionality directly onto existing television content, Care Messenger enables users to stay connected with friends, family and care providers using a standard TV remote control, a device they are already comfortable and familiar with.
This simple but powerful approach removes digital barriers and ensures accessibility for those who may struggle with smartphones, tablets or computers.
After several years of steady and sustainable growth, the business entered a pivotal stage in its journey. Following a series of major contract wins across the UK and overseas, Care Messenger began preparing for significant operational scale in 2026.
New projects included the installation of its platform across every Health and Social Care run facility in South Lanarkshire, a planned deployment of the Chatta system in 424 apartments owned by the Netherlands’ leading innovative care provider Vilente, a new build 60 apartment ‘Care Village’ in the Borders, and integration of its technology within a wider telecare ecosystem in Moray and the Netherlands.
As the business moved beyond early stage innovation and into large scale delivery, the challenge shifted.
“Developing an innovative technology product, proving its place in the market, building the right international partnerships to strengthen your position, and putting robust working pilots on the ground is just the start of building a successful business. We have successfully completed this stage of the journey, but the next challenges where businesses often come unstuck is converting endless pilots and small ‘tests’ to a successful rollout and then securing the necessary funding to scale up your now proven business proposition.” said Paul Slaughter, Chief Executive at Care Messenger.
The Chatta system extends the core platform by enabling structured communication between residents, families and care teams, supporting wellbeing updates, secure messaging and video interaction within a managed care setting. This allows care providers to centralise communication while giving families reassurance and visibility.
These opportunities represented substantial growth potential, but also introduced complexity, operational pressure and the need for rapid organisational development.
To support this next phase, Care Messenger engaged with Scaleup North East and worked closely with Partner Craig Huntingdon.
Scaleup North East is a specialist business support programme delivered by RTC North designed to help ambitious companies overcome barriers to growth and prepare for significant scaling.
The programme provides tailored one to one strategic support from experienced business leaders, helping companies strengthen leadership capability, clarify growth strategy, manage risk and access the right expertise at the right time.
Having historically operated as a lean organisation, meaning a business structure built around a small, efficient team with minimal overheads, tight cost control and streamlined decision making, Care Messenger had been able to grow steadily while remaining agile. However, the business now faced increasing demand that would require additional resource at every level.
Scaling effectively meant investing in senior hires, strengthening internal processes and ensuring the technology roadmap could be delivered at pace and at scale.
With a relatively long sales cycle typical within healthcare and public sector markets, it was critical that the business could confidently seize opportunities and deploy solutions quickly when contracts were secured.
Over the course of a year, Craig worked closely with Paul and the senior leadership team to strengthen the foundations required for growth.
“We have achieved successful rollout with clients in two countries, the UK and Holland, and are now at that vital stage of accelerating growth and building the infrastructure to underpin that growth.” Commented Paul.
“To help us with this, the Scale Up programme has provided invaluable support in identifying appropriate funding opportunities and working with us to assemble a clear and compelling pitch deck and financial narrative to engage potential investors.”
The support focused on ensuring the business was operationally, strategically and commercially prepared for expansion, and included reviewing resourcing plans, exploring funding options and ensuring alignment between commercial ambition and delivery capability.
This engagement provided both practical guidance and strategic reassurance. As demand accelerated, it was essential that the leadership team had clarity around priorities, risk management and long-term scalability.
Through structured conversations and constructive challenge, the business built confidence in its readiness to scale while maintaining the quality and reliability that had underpinned its early success.
“You typically only get one opportunity to engage an investor, so it is vital that your first interaction captures attention and stands out in a highly competitive landscape. We are deeply appreciative of the professional support and engagement we have had from Craig to help us prepare for this next vital step.” Said Paul, reflecting on the support.
Care Messenger’s platform has also evolved significantly. Beyond facilitating video calls and messaging, it now supports the centralisation of multiple aspects of the healthcare ecosystem, incorporating artificial intelligence and Internet of Things capabilities through a simple, intuitive interface.
This evolution positions the system as a powerful tool for care homes, social housing schemes and home based care providers seeking to modernise communication and monitoring while keeping user experience at the forefront.
“Paul and the team have developed an important platform that will play such a significant part in many people’s lives, ensuring friends and families remain connected,” Partner Craig Huntingdon commented.
“Furthermore, the platform has developed substantially and now offers the ability to centralise many aspects of the healthcare ecosystem using artificial intelligence and Internet of Things technology through a simple and easy to use, familiar interface.
The system is perfect for care homes, social housing schemes, and home based care providers. I am so pleased to have been able to assist them during this rapid growth stage of their journey and look forward to seeing their continued success.”
With robust foundations now in place, Care Messenger is entering its next phase with clarity and confidence. The business is well positioned to meet rising demand, deliver complex multi-site implementations and continue enhancing its technology to support integrated, future ready care environments.
The experience highlights the importance of structured scale up support during periods of accelerated growth. By combining innovation with strategic preparation, Care Messenger has strengthened its ability to deliver meaningful impact at scale, helping elderly individuals remain connected, supported and empowered in an increasingly digital world.