Healios, the digital therapy company for mental health, has raised £2.2m ($3m) in its latest funding round, led by investors Albion Capital and Spice Capital.
Founded in 2013, Healios empowers young patients and families affected by mental illness and neurodevelopmental conditions through combining the use of technology with specialised clinician expertise and evidence-based clinical tools. Utilising its unique digital platform, Healios enables the efficient delivery of family-centric care, delivering a revolutionary interactive experience across multiple family members. Its technology-driven approach increases both access to and engagement with therapy and enhancing the quality of care and outcomes for its users.
Research from Mind found that 1 in 4 people in the UK now experience a mental health issue each year. Healios is helping to meet the huge growth in the demand for mental healthcare, particularly for young people, driven by both a rise in cases and the increasing recognition that mental health treatment should be on a par with its physical equivalent. The use of family-centric care is considered gold standard for treatment of mental health in the young, but is currently hampered by the difficulty in logistics and accessing sufficient specialist therapists.
“Technology and digital tools are resetting our expectations of every interaction that we have, including the way we think about mental healthcare. Healios brings transformative technology to the forefront of the treatment experience to deliver excellent mental healthcare that is accessible anywhere. Demand for our services continues to grow significantly as families require flexible and convenient assessment, treatment, and support. This funding will allow us to expand strategically to increase access, innovate rapidly, and execute on our vision to help families in need around the world.” Said Richard Andrews, Founder and CEO, Healios.
Healios’ clinical platform facilitates psychological assessments, treatments, wellbeing monitoring and clinical time with qualified clinicians through video conferencing and interactive digital tools. The data shows that 80% of young people choose Healios over face-to-face clinical sessions. The ability for the platform to fit seamlessly into a digitally-focused lifestyle and at the same time engage family members is a key differentiator from traditional therapy providers.
The company is currently working with many NHS trusts to reinvent the provision of mental health treatment so that it can be accessed quicker, and in both a flexible and inclusive way. The service is currently integrated into the NHS network, operating on a seven day basis to give patients an unprecedented treatment experience.
Dr Andrew Elder, Partner and Head of Healthcare, Albion Capital, says: “Healios is a hugely exciting prospect, and offers a model that we believe can change the face of mental healthcare for millions of patients. Mental health cases in the NHS are rising dramatically and Healios not only provides a solution to meeting the demand, but also enhancing the service from both a personal and medical perspective. We look forward to working with the team to bring this extraordinary platform to many more families across the UK and beyond.”
The investment will be used to scale up the operations of the company, enable more widespread accessibility for NHS trusts and private organisations to use its online treatment platform, and further product development.
Maryline Kulawik, Managing Partner, Spice Capital, said: “We were completely convinced by the patient-centric telemedicine platform brought to the market by the Healios team. They have combined a unique state-of-art digital technology with a very deep knowledge of mental health issues to provide a flexible, effective and family-focused solution. They will help the community face the growing challenge of mental wellbeing and dramatically reduce delay in access to care. The platform will offer patients customised consultations from the comfort of their home and an acute data-driven monitoring of their condition. We are very excited to support the Healios team in this disruptive project with societal impact.”
