Our story
With 28 million people in the UK living with chronic pain, the pressure on NHS services is immense. Patients can wait years to start treatment, while dedicated clinicians battle inefficient, admin-heavy workloads that prevent them from delivering the impactful care they aspire to provide.
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We founded Pastel Health to change this.
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We’re on a mission to transform the lives of patients with chronic pain and to create a more fulfilling care experience for our clinicians. As former NHS doctors, we know the two are inseparable, and both are dear to our hearts.
Our values
Our values define our behaviours and our actions and ensure we deliver exceptional care every day
We care deeply
We treat patients with the same respect and compassion we’d want our loved ones to be treated. We go above and beyond to create an outstanding, supportive experience because we understand that how we deliver care is just as important as what we deliver.
We think differently
We require fresh thinking to transform patient lives. Optimism and curiosity thrive at Pastel. We question assumptions, seek diverse perspectives and aren’t afraid to be different. We balance this with speed, prioritisation, and a grounding in clinical quality and patient safety.
We grow together
We actively seek opportunities to improve ourselves and those around us. We embrace feedback and share our knowledge openly. Helping each other learn and grow is necessary to deliver our mission and make Pastel a fulfilling place to work.
We make a difference
We are owners who make things happen. We monitor and quantify our impact on patient lives and our business. We celebrate our successes and learn from our mistakes. Our work is fulfilling because we make a difference.
MEET OUR TEAM
Meet our team
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Founding Clinician &
Clinical Director
Dr Raj Malhotra
Dr Rajiv Malhotra is a highly respected Consultant in Pain Medicine and a Fellow of the Faculty of Pain Medicine. He has extensive experience both in the NHS and private practice and is deeply passionate about helping patients overcome the challenges of chronic pain. Raj heads up our clinical function and is responsible for our outcomes and patient safety.
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Dr Sam Winward
Co-founder & CEO
Over the past 10 years, Sam has worked as a doctor in the NHS, advised on private equity healthcare transactions, and supported the commercialisation of digital health services for Babylon Health and Oviva within the NHS. He is passionate about widening access to care; Pastel Health is an extension of this.
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Dr Kush Patel
Co-founder & Executive Chair
​Kush brings a wealth of experience in healthcare innovation. Grounded in his background as a doctor and his passion for building technology to enhance care, he has helped Babylon Health scale its services globally and led the Women’s Health team at GSK New Ventures. He has a patient-centred approach which helps drive Pastel’s mission forward.
