An听online therapy platform for children and young people with mental health and neurodiverse conditions has raised 拢7 million.听
Healios听says the funding will be used听to expand its life-changing platform and improve access to much-needed therapy programmes for families across the听country.听听
The Series A round was led by InHealth听Ventures with participation from existing investors听AlbionVC.听
Currently, one in eight听5-19–year–olds in the UK have a mental health disorder but two-thirds听are unable to access NHS care because of soaring demands and long听waiting lists. The听COVID-19 pandemic has intensified听demand even further.听
Since launching in 2013,听Healios听has transformed how children and听young people access therapy services in the UK. The听company has undertaken extensive digital transformation work with over 65% of NHS Mental Health Trusts to听provide clinician-led, expert care to children and young people living with conditions such as anxiety, low mood, autism and ADHD, as well as support to their families.听听
Healios鈥� virtual care platform delivers tailored digital interventions听including specialist clinical assessments, therapy sessions and bespoke support programmes through its employed network of clinicians, integrated tools, self-management apps and a telemedicine platform.听听
So far, more听than 70,000 specialised clinical sessions have been delivered through听Healios.听
It听takes a family-centric approach to assessment, therapy and听treatment plans, with听an听online, family-focused therapy programme for young people with psychosis and schizophrenia.听听
Healios听says it听will invest in听new assessment and treatment programmes, enabling it to make even more services available to the NHS and health organisations.听听
The London company will also expand its AI, machine learning and data science expertise, adding to a team whose headcount has already grown听by 116% since early 2020. In addition,听Healios听will be accelerating plans to expand internationally later this year.听听
InHealth Ventures and InHealth Group Chair, Richard Bradford, will听be joining the听Healios听board, alongside Cat McDonald of听AlbionVC.听听听
Rich Andrews, Founder and CEO of听Healios, said:听鈥淭丑别听UK is facing a mental health crisis. Demand听far听outstrips supply and technology has a vital role to play in closing that gap.听听
鈥�We鈥檙e immensely proud of the lives we鈥檝e already changed through听Healios. This funding will help us reach more families in need and听enable us to develop further sector-leading interventions and therapies.听听
鈥�By bringing together clinical experts and giving them the tools to reach their patients regardless of where they are, we are closing the access gap which has plagued mental health provision听for far too long.听听
鈥淲别鈥檙别听delighted to bring such esteemed investors onto the team as we deepen our clinical provision and expand our global reach. Both InHealth Ventures and existing investors听AlbionVC听bring with them highly specialised knowledge when it comes to navigating health听systems and scaling innovative healthcare technologies.鈥�听
Dr Ben Evans, Managing Director of InHealth Ventures, said:听鈥�Healios听is a standard bearer for healthcare innovation. They bring together clinical excellence with digital expertise, working in partnership with the NHS to address a critical, but complex area of care delivery.听听
鈥�Healios鈥� work to date speaks for itself; their holistic听approach to diagnosis and treatment has had a substantive impact on clinical outcomes and patient experience.听听
鈥�We鈥檙e thrilled to have led this round and are excited to partner with the听Healios听team as they continue their pioneering and hugely important work.鈥�听
Cat McDonald, Investor at听AlbionVC, said:听鈥�COVID听has engendered a pace of innovation previously unseen in healthcare.听In particular, we听have seen that remote care not only works, but often works much better than traditional alternatives.听听
鈥�The option to receive care remotely, at home and in a family-centric听setting is the strong preference of most kids suffering from poor mental health, which is why we are delighted to continue supporting the incredible听Healios听team as they continue on their mission of bringing accessible care to the next generation.鈥�
Mental health