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According to a report, mental health problems affect about one in ten children and young people. They include anxiety, depression, and conduct disorder, which are often a direct response to what is happening in their lives. 

However, 70 per cent of children and young people with mental health problems have not had appropriate interventions at the right time due to soaring demands and long waiting lists. 

Based out of Southampton, Healios is a digital therapy platform that is trying to change this.  

€8.1M in Series A round

Recently, the UK’s online therapy platform for children and young people with mental health and neurodiverse conditions raised £7M (approx €8.1M) funding in Series A round led by InHealth Ventures, along with the participation of existing investors AlbionVC.

The company will use the funding to invest in new assessment and treatment programmes, expand its AI, machine learning, and data science expertise, and accelerate plans to expand internationally later this year. 

As a part of the funding, InHealth Ventures and InHealth Group Chair, Richard Bradford, will be joining the Healios board, alongside Cat McDonald of AlbionVC. 

InHealth Ventures

InHealth Ventures backs teams who are on a mission to solve painful, pervasive healthcare challenges. 

They invest in companies across Europe and the US that can increase access to care, improve clinical outcomes and reduce the financial burden associated with treatment.

How was Helios born?

Healios founder Rich Andrews experienced the first-hand challenge of accessing support for both the individual and the families who’ve suffered from mental health challenges and dementia. 

He founded the company in 2013 to combat the global inequality of healthcare provision that affects over one billion people worldwide with mental health and neurodiverse conditions.

The UK company aims to transform how children and young people access therapy services. 

The company has undertaken extensive digital transformation work with over 65 per cent of NHS Mental Health Trusts to 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. 

Virtual care platform

The company’s virtual care platform delivers tailored digital interventions, including specialist clinical assessments, therapy sessions, and bespoke support programmes through its clinicians, integrated tools, self-management apps, and a telemedicine platform.

To date, Healios has delivered around 70,000 specialised clinical sessions. 

These digital interventions reduce waiting time, ensuring access to more young people regardless of location, crucial for those who would otherwise find attending clinical settings difficult or distressing.

On the other hand, this method reduces infrastructure costs for NHS Trusts and supports the digital transformation agenda as well. 

Family-first approach

The company also has family-first care through technology, with research showing that involving loved ones in the care process significantly improves clinical outcomes for patients. 

As a result, the digital health platform launched the world’s first online, family-focused therapy programme for young people with psychosis and schizophrenia.

Received endorsements

The Healios virtual care management platform has received endorsements from the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) for its Cognitive Behavioural Therapy in Children and Young People service and their Family Intervention for Psychosis and Schizophrenia service. Healios’ Autism Assessment Service was also included in NHS England’s National Autism Best Practice Guide.

Rich Andrews, Founder and CEO of Healios, says: “The UK is facing a mental health crisis. Demand far outstrips supply, and technology has a vital role to play in closing that gap. We’re immensely proud of the lives we’ve already changed through Healios. This funding will help us reach more families in need and enable us to develop further sector-leading interventions and therapies. 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 for far too long.”