---
title: "Health charities in the UK — how to compare before you…"
description: "Compare UK health charities — disease-specific funds vs general health, British Heart Foundation vs Stroke Association"
source: https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/causes/health
retrieved: 2026-08-18T01:24:11.754Z
license: "Charity data © Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0"
---

# Health charities in the UK — how to compare before you donate

**In short:** Health giving is usually disease-specific (heart, stroke, dementia, diabetes) rather than one generic “health charity.” Pick the condition first, then compare Clarity Scores and cause spend on CharityCompare.

Data from [CharityCompare editorial](https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/), last updated 12 August 2026.

## What health charities do

This sector includes medical research, patient information, equipment, hospitals and condition-specific support. “Health” on a register classification is broader than most donors mean — you will usually want a **topic hub** (dementia, diabetes, cancer) rather than the whole list.

## Which health charity is best to donate to?

No single charity wins. Use this order:

- [Check the charity number](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/how-to-check-a-charity-number).

- Pick the condition or service (research vs support vs hospice).

- Compare like with like on CharityCompare.

- For cancer specifically, use the [cancer cause review](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/causes/cancer).

## Head-to-head starting point

Heart vs stroke is a common split: **[British Heart Foundation vs Stroke Association](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/british-heart-foundation-vs-stroke-association)**.

Dementia support vs research: **[Alzheimer’s Society vs Alzheimer’s Research UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/compare/alzheimers-society-vs-alzheimers-research-uk)**.

## Efficiency and overheads

Charity shops and research grants both distort simple overhead slogans. See [charity admin costs UK](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/charity-admin-costs-explained) and [how to read accounts](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/guides/how-to-read-accounts).

## Browse

- [Browse health charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health)

- [Dementia](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charities/dementia) · [Diabetes](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charities/diabetes) · [Cancer](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charities/cancer)

- [Hospices](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/causes/hospices)

This page is how to choose within the cause.
The rated list is [/browse/health](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/browse/health).
Disease-specific hubs live under [/charities](https://www.charitycompare.org.uk/charities).