OUR HISTORY

In April 1947, 17 provident associations joined together to form Bupa with the purpose of preventing, relieving and curing sickness and ill health of every kind. We began in the UK with just 38,000 members. Our history goes back even earlier in Australia where our business was founded in the 1930s to provide a solution to people who could not afford doctors’ fees. In the decades since, Bupa has grown by anticipating and meeting people’s evolving healthcare needs and by partnering with national healthcare providers.

 

1950s

We began the first major company health insurance scheme. Membership grew as demand for healthcare increased dramatically. To meet this demand, Bupa founded the Nursing Homes Charitable Trust, later renamed Nuffield Hospitals. By 1955, Bupa membership had exceeded 200,000. In 1954, Sanitas was founded to provide health insurance in Spain.

1960s

In the face of pressure on UK hospital places, Bupa’s hospital funding programme created a national network providing quality care. Bupa helped found the International Federation of Voluntary Health Service Funds and Bupa membership reached 1.5 million.

1970s

We launched the Bupa Foundation, an independent medical research charity funded by Bupa. With a commitment to wellness, we also pioneered the concept of health screening, opening the very first screening centre in central London. We also first began to expand to provide services across Asia, beginning in Hong Kong in 1976.

1980s

We grew our European footprint by acquiring Sanitas, Spain’s largest healthcare organization in 1989. We also began working in tandem with the UK’s National Health Service, including managing services, and began working with universities in the postgraduate training of young doctors. In 1982, Bupa International was launched to provide worldwide medical cover to people working outside their home country.

1990s

Bupa entered the care homes sector with the first acquisition of 30 homes in the UK in 1996. Today, we are among the world’s largest providers of residential care for older people, providing care across the UK, Spain, New Zealand and Australia. We also expanded our Asian footprint to Thailand in the mid-1990s.

2000s

We sold our hospitals in the UK, allowing us to grow rapidly, with major acquisitions in Australia of MBF, HBA and Mutual Community, as well as acquisitions in New Zealand, Latin America and the addition of Health Dialog in the USA. We also expanded in Europe, including through Bupa Home Healthcare. Our operations continue to grow across the Middle East and in China. Max Bupa, our newest venture, commenced in India in 2010.