Kelly McCabe is a healthcare entrepreneur, oncology specialist, and business leader who serves as the Co-Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Perci Health, a UK-based digital cancer care company. With a career that spans clinical practice, healthcare operations, and entrepreneurship, she has become a recognised voice in the growing field of cancer survivorship care.
Her professional journey is rooted in a simple but important observation. While cancer treatment has advanced significantly, many patients continue to face physical, emotional, and practical challenges long after treatment ends. Kelly McCabe saw this gap during her years working in oncology and became determined to help address it. That vision eventually led to the creation of Perci Health, a company focused on providing specialist support for people living with and beyond cancer.
Today, Perci Health works with patients, employers, insurers, and healthcare professionals to improve access to expert cancer support. Under McCabe’s leadership, the company has grown into one of the UK’s emerging digital health businesses focused on cancer recovery and rehabilitation.
Educational Background and Early Career
Kelly McCabe’s professional foundation was built through education and hands-on clinical experience. She studied Dietetics at King’s College London, one of the UK’s leading institutions for healthcare education. She later completed a Master’s degree in Nutritional Medicine at the University of Surrey, further expanding her expertise in patient care and clinical nutrition.
Her early career focused on oncology dietetics, a specialized field that supports cancer patients through nutrition management before, during, and after treatment. Working directly with patients gave her a close understanding of the challenges people face throughout their cancer journey.
Rather than viewing cancer solely through a medical lens, McCabe became increasingly aware of the wider impact of the disease. She saw patients struggle with fatigue, dietary issues, emotional stress, mobility concerns, and difficulties returning to work. Many of these challenges continued long after treatment had ended. These experiences would later shape her approach to healthcare leadership and innovation.
Building Expertise in Oncology
Before launching Perci Health, Kelly McCabe built extensive experience in cancer care and healthcare management. She spent many years working within oncology services and gradually moved into leadership roles.
One of the most significant stages of her career was at Leaders in Oncology Care, a private cancer care provider in the United Kingdom. During her time there, she held several senior positions, including Lead Oncology Dietitian, Head of Dietetics and Therapies, and later Chief Operating Officer.
These roles gave her valuable insight into the operational side of healthcare while allowing her to remain connected to patient needs. She worked alongside multidisciplinary teams that included oncologists, surgeons, nurses, physiotherapists, and other specialists.
This combination of clinical and operational experience helped her understand both the strengths and limitations of existing cancer care systems. She observed that while treatment pathways were often well organised, support after treatment could be fragmented and difficult to access.
As cancer survival rates improved, the number of people living with the long-term effects of cancer also increased. McCabe recognised that healthcare systems would need new approaches to meet these growing demands.
The Inspiration Behind Perci Health
The idea for Perci Health emerged from both professional experience and a desire to improve long-term outcomes for cancer patients.
In 2020, Kelly McCabe co-founded Perci Health with Morgan Fitzsimons. The company was established to help address gaps in cancer survivorship care and improve access to specialist support services.
The founders believed that patients should not have to navigate recovery alone after treatment ends. They wanted to create a model that would connect individuals with the right specialists at the right time through a single, accessible platform.
Perci Health was designed around a multidisciplinary approach. Instead of focusing on one aspect of recovery, the platform brings together specialists from different fields, including oncology nursing, nutrition, physiotherapy, psychology, occupational therapy, and other areas relevant to cancer recovery.
The company’s mission reflects McCabe’s long-held belief that successful cancer care extends beyond treatment. Recovery, rehabilitation, and long-term well-being are equally important parts of the patient journey.
Launching a New Model of Cancer Support
Launching a healthcare startup is rarely straightforward. Building trust among patients, clinicians, employers, and investors requires strong evidence, careful planning, and clear leadership.
McCabe approached this challenge by ensuring that Perci Health maintained a strong clinical foundation from the beginning. The company focused on delivering evidence-based support while using technology to improve accessibility and convenience.
The timing proved significant. Growing acceptance of virtual healthcare created new opportunities for digital care models. Patients became more comfortable receiving healthcare support remotely, while healthcare providers increasingly recognized the benefits of digital services.
Perci Health used this shift to create a virtual care model that connected patients with specialist support regardless of their location. The company positioned itself as a complement to traditional healthcare services rather than a replacement.
This patient-centered approach helped the business establish credibility in a highly regulated healthcare environment.
Funding and Business Growth
Perci Health’s growth has been supported by investor confidence in both its mission and business model.
In 2023, the company announced a £3.4 million seed funding round led by Octopus Ventures. The investment was intended to support product development, service expansion, and growth of the specialist clinical network.
The funding marked an important milestone for the business. It demonstrated growing recognition of cancer survivorship as a major healthcare challenge and highlighted the potential of digital solutions to improve patient outcomes.
Perci Health continued to expand its services and partnerships over the following years. In 2025, the company secured an additional £3 million funding round. Investors included Octopus Ventures, Guinness Ventures, Conduit Fund, Macmillan Cancer Support, and several leading cancer specialists.
The funding was aimed at accelerating growth, strengthening technology capabilities, and expanding access to personalised cancer care services.
These investments brought greater visibility to the company and reinforced its position within the digital health sector.
Leadership Style
Kelly McCabe’s leadership style reflects her clinical roots. Throughout her career, she has emphasised patient-centred decision-making and collaborative working practices. Rather than focusing solely on business growth, she consistently highlights the importance of measurable patient outcomes. This approach has influenced the culture of Perci Health and helped establish trust among healthcare professionals.
Her experience working directly with patients gives her a practical understanding of the challenges people face. This perspective often informs strategic decisions within the company. McCabe also values multidisciplinary collaboration. Cancer recovery involves many different aspects of care, and she believes the best outcomes are achieved when specialists work together. This philosophy is reflected in the structure of Perci Health’s services.
At the same time, she understands the operational demands of running a healthcare company. Her background in healthcare management allows her to balance clinical quality with business sustainability. This combination of empathy, healthcare expertise, and operational discipline has become a defining feature of her leadership.
Industry Expertise and Vision
Kelly McCabe’s expertise sits at the intersection of oncology, healthcare management, patient experience, and digital health innovation.
Over the years, she has developed a strong understanding of how healthcare systems function and where patients can experience barriers to care. This knowledge has helped shape Perci Health’s strategy and service design. Her vision focuses on making specialist cancer support more accessible and coordinated. She believes that survivorship care should become a standard part of cancer treatment rather than an optional service available only to some patients.
McCabe has also been an advocate for responsible healthcare innovation. While she recognises the value of technology, she emphasises that digital tools should enhance human care rather than replace it. This balanced approach has helped Perci Health combine technological innovation with clinical expertise. As healthcare systems continue to evolve, her vision remains centred on improving the quality of life for people affected by cancer.
Improving Efficiency in Cancer Care
One of Perci Health’s most significant contributions has been its effort to simplify access to specialist support services. Many cancer patients require help from multiple healthcare professionals during recovery. Traditionally, accessing these services can involve separate referrals, long waiting periods, and fragmented communication.
Perci Health seeks to reduce this complexity by bringing specialists together through a coordinated platform. Patients can access support more easily and receive care that is tailored to their specific needs.
The company also works with employers and insurers to support employees affected by cancer. By helping individuals manage recovery and return to work more effectively, these services can contribute to better outcomes for both patients and organisations. Although the long-term impact of digital survivorship models continues to evolve, Perci Health represents an example of how technology can be used to improve efficiency while maintaining a strong focus on patient care.
Personal Philosophy
While Kelly McCabe keeps much of her personal life private, her professional philosophy is evident through her work. She has consistently focused on improving the patient experience and ensuring that people receive support beyond active treatment. Her career reflects a belief that healthcare should address the whole person rather than just the disease.
This perspective has shaped every stage of Perci Health’s development. Whether discussing clinical care, technology, or business strategy, she frequently returns to the importance of patient wellbeing. Her work also demonstrates a commitment to collaboration. Throughout her career, she has built partnerships across healthcare, technology, insurance, and employer communities to create broader support networks for cancer patients.
Future Outlook
The future of cancer care is increasingly focused on survivorship, rehabilitation, and long-term wellbeing. This trend aligns closely with Kelly McCabe’s vision for Perci Health.
As more people survive cancer, demand for specialist support services is expected to grow. Healthcare providers, employers, and insurers are paying greater attention to the challenges faced by cancer survivors and the need for coordinated care.
Perci Health is positioned within this evolving landscape. The company’s continued investment in technology, specialist services, and partnerships suggests that it aims to play a larger role in supporting cancer recovery across the UK. For McCabe, the long-term goal remains consistent: helping ensure that people affected by cancer receive the support they need not only to survive but also to live well after treatment.
Kelly McCabe has built a career dedicated to improving the lives of people affected by cancer. From her early work as an oncology dietitian to her leadership of Perci Health, she has consistently focused on addressing unmet needs within cancer care.
Her combination of clinical expertise, healthcare management experience, and entrepreneurial vision has enabled her to create a company that addresses one of healthcare’s most important challenges. Through Perci Health, she has helped bring greater attention to cancer survivorship and the importance of ongoing support after treatment. As healthcare continues to move toward more personalised and connected models of care, Kelly McCabe’s work is likely to remain influential. Her commitment to patient-centered innovation continues to shape the future of cancer recovery and survivorship support in the United Kingdom.
