Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

What Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust does

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (EPUT) is a statutory NHS Foundation Trust formed on 1 April 2017 through the merger of predecessor trusts to consolidate mental health, community health, and learning disability services across Essex, Suffolk, Luton, and Bedfordshire. The Trust serves a defined regional population of 3.2 million people, employs more than 7,200 staff across more than 200 sites, and provides care to more than 100,000 patients at any one time. Its service portfolio spans acute adult inpatient mental health care, child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) at the St Aubyn Centre in Colchester and the Poplar Unit in Rochford (including the only NHS Adolescent Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit in the East of England), NHS Talking Therapies (Therapy for You), community MSK physiotherapy, perinatal mental health, learning disability nursing, dementia and older people's services, veterans' mental health (Op COURAGE), and the Connect to Work employment support programme.

EPUT's technology stack combines NHS-standard clinical infrastructure (SystmOne for referrals, My Care Record for shared records) with a portfolio of patient-facing and operational digital tools: the Patients Know Best (PKB) portal integrated into the NHS App, the MyCareBridge autism and ADHD referral portal built jointly with NELFT and Provide Community, the Oxevision vital-signs video monitoring system, vCreate Neuro for secure clinical video, Realwear voice-activated headsets, the Beautiful Voice speech and language therapy platform, and the in-house SOPHIA AI Safety Improvement Platform. The Trust's overall CQC rating stands at Requires Improvement (12 July 2023), with CAMHS wards upgraded to Good following March 2026 inspections and the Therapeutic Education Department rated Outstanding by Ofsted.

EPUT operates as a public benefit corporation with no shareholders; revenue is derived entirely from NHS commissioning contracts with NHS England and Integrated Care Boards (formerly CCGs) and from related programme commissioning such as Op COURAGE. All NHS services are free at point of use. The Trust reinvests any surplus into service improvement rather than distributing profit. Marketing and patient acquisition occur through NHS-referral channels (GPs, NHS 111 mental health option, health visitors), self-referral pathways (Therapy for You, MSK physiotherapy), digital portals (MyCareBridge), and recruitment-driven engagement. Strategic positioning is anchored in the Trust's statutory regional monopoly for commissioned NHS services, supplemented by consortium lead-provider roles and digital differentiation in safety governance and patient-facing tools.

Name

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Legal name

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust

Website

https://eput.nhs.uk

Company type

Public

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

5,001–10,000 employees

Short description

Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust is an NHS public benefit corporation delivering mental health, community health, and learning disability services to a 3.2 million population across Essex, Suffolk, Luton, and Bedfordshire, operating 200+ sites with 7,200+ staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Mental Health and Community Healthcare Services

NAICS

Outpatient Mental Health and Substance Abuse Centers (621420), Residential Mental Health and Substance Abuse Facilities (623220), Psychiatric and Substance Abuse Hospitals (622210)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000), Services-Specialty Outpatient Facilities, Nec (8093), Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Mental Health Centers (CMHCs) & Public Behavioral Health Providers (HLAFACAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Crisis Stabilization Units & Psychiatric Emergency Services (HLAFACAH), Mental Health & Crisis Support Services (BPAGAEAH)

Keywords

• NHS mental health services
• Community health services
• Learning disability support
• NHS talking therapies
• Psychiatric inpatient care

Headquarters

HQ city

Wickford

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices12 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. NHS Clinical Commissioning Group Contracts: The primary revenue source is NHS-mandated funding flows from Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) and NHS England, commissioned to provide community health, mental health, and learning disability services to a defined regional population. Revenue is negotiated through long-term NHS contracts based on population needs and service specifications.
2. Government-Funded Healthcare Services: As an NHS Foundation Trust, services are funded through UK government healthcare expenditure (NHS budget). No direct patient billing for NHS services. Some services may generate income through specialised commissioned programmes (e.g., Op COURAGE Veterans service commissioned by NHS England).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

EPUT is an NHS Foundation Trust that delivers publicly funded community health, mental health, and learning disability services across Bedfordshire, Essex, Suffolk, and Luton. The Trust provides acute mental health inpatient care, child and adolescent mental health services, NHS talking therapies, MSK physiotherapy, veterans' mental health, perinatal mental health, learning disability support, and employment services, operating across more than 200 sites with over 7,200 staff. Services are commissioned by NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups and NHS England and accessed by patients via GP referral, self-referral, or crisis routes such as NHS 111 option 2.

Product overview

EPUT operates as an NHS Foundation Trust providing an integrated portfolio of community health, mental health, and learning disability services across Essex, Luton, Bedfordshire, and Suffolk. The Trust offers both inpatient services (including Acute Adult Inpatient, CAMHS wards at the St Aubyn Centre and Poplar Unit) and extensive community services. Key service lines include Therapy for You (NHS Talking Therapies) for anxiety and depression, MSK Physiotherapy, Employment Services (Connect to Work), MyCareBridge for children's autism and ADHD assessments, Op COURAGE for veterans, and Perinatal Mental Health Services. The Trust complements clinical care with patient-facing digital tools including the Patients Know Best portal integrated with the NHS App, the i Want Great Care feedback platform, and innovative therapy programmes including therapy animals and Recovery Cafés. EPUT also runs education and volunteer programmes including the Buddy Scheme and Lived Experience in Education Team.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Acute Adult Inpatient Service 24-hour acute mental health care and support for adults experiencing a crisis, delivered in a safe therapeutic setting within EPUT inpatient facilities.

Quantifiable outcome

• CQC rating upgraded from Requires Improvement to Good for CAMHS wards (St Aubyn Centre and Poplar Unit) following March inspections
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration8 records

AI capability6 records

Feature8 records

Partnerships

13 partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPUT is the lead provider of the Op COURAGE Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service in the East of England, working in partnership with Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust as part of a consortium delivering specialist mental health support to Armed Forces veterans and reservists.
• St Andrew's HealthcarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with St Andrew's Healthcare as part of the Op COURAGE consortium providing mental health and wellbeing services to veterans in the East of England.
• Mental Health MatterscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Mental Health Matters as part of the Op COURAGE consortium providing mental health and wellbeing services to veterans in the East of England.
• Walking With The WoundedcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Walking With The Wounded as part of the Op COURAGE consortium. Walking With The Wounded provides Veteran Liaison Support Officers (VLSOs) who assess veterans' needs and connect them to specialists.
• The Warrior ProgrammeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with The Warrior Programme as part of the Op COURAGE Veterans Mental Health and Wellbeing Service consortium supporting Armed Forces veterans.
• Mid and South Essex Community CollaborativecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative is a formal partnership between Provide Community, North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT), and EPUT, created to develop and deliver shared community services including the MyCareBridge portal for children's autism and ADHD assessments.
• Employ-AbilitycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorEPUT works in partnership with the charity Employ-Ability, who provide the Connect to Work employment support service in West and South East, South Essex and Southend on behalf of EPUT. EPUT directly provides the service in North East and Mid Essex.
• Provide CommunitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvide Community is a partner in the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative, working with EPUT on shared community services including the MyCareBridge digital portal for children's autism and ADHD referral management.
• North East London Foundation Trust (NELFT)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNELFT is a partner in the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative with EPUT and Provide Community, jointly operating the MyCareBridge portal for children's autism and ADHD services in mid and south Essex.
• The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust (PAH)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerEPUT partners with The Princess Alexandra Hospital NHS Trust on the MSK Community Appointment Day initiative, delivering joint person-centred musculoskeletal care that helps people live well with MSK conditions.
• Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust (HPFT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerHPFT has an arrangement with EPUT to offer up to four support sessions with a registered therapist to patients and families impacted by the Lampard Inquiry who prefer not to receive support from EPUT directly.
• Help4HeroesminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCharity partner that worked with a Walking With The Wounded VLSO to help a veteran successfully apply for council housing as part of Op COURAGE support.
• Royal British LegionminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerReferred to as part of Op COURAGE support network for veterans, helping with housing and financial assistance.

Scale indicators8 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Others

• Patients Know Best: UK patient portal vendor whose platform EPUT is deploying as part of its digital strategy. Not a competitor but an ecosystem partner whose adoption trajectory directly affects EPUT's digital service offering.

Direct peers

• Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust: NHS mental health and community Trust serving Greater Manchester. Comparable service portfolio (mental health, learning disabilities, community services) and comparable recent CQC trajectory.
• Norfolk and Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust: Neighbouring NHS mental health and community Trust covering Norfolk and Suffolk. Direct peer in scale, service mix and geographic adjacency; EPUT is also a formal partner with NSFT in the Op COURAGE veterans' consortium.
• Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust: One of the largest mental health NHS Trusts in England, providing inpatient and community mental health, learning disability and neurorehabilitation services across Sussex. Closest scale analogue to EPUT.
• Cambridgeshire and Peterborough NHS Foundation Trust: NHS mental health, learning disability and community Trust serving Cambridgeshire and Peterborough. Comparable in size, statutory remit and digital maturity (similar EPR/SystmOne footprint).
• Hertfordshire Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust: Mental health and learning disability NHS Trust covering Hertfordshire with a comparable size, footprint and service portfolio. Has an active service-level arrangement with EPUT under the Lampard Inquiry support pathway.
• Midlands Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust: Integrated NHS Trust providing mental health, learning disability and community physical health services across Staffordshire and Shropshire. Closest UK analogue to EPUT's combined mental health + community + learning disability operating model.
• Provide Community: Community interest company providing community health services across Essex and other regions. Direct peer for community services and a formal partner with EPUT in the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative.
• West London NHS Trust: NHS Trust providing mental health, community and forensic services across West London. Comparable in integrated mental health/community operating model and digital innovation profile.
• North East London NHS Foundation Trust (NELFT): Large NHS Foundation Trust providing community and mental health services across north east London and Essex. Direct peer in service mix and a formal co-development partner with EPUT on the Mid and South Essex Community Collaborative and MyCareBridge.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/EPUTNHS
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SEPTNHS
• Facebookfacebook.com/EPUTNHS
• Instagraminstagram.com/eputnhs
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/essex-partnership-university-nhs-foundation-trust

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Essex Partnership University NHS Foundation Trust