CAMHS Dorset

Name

CAMHS Dorset

Legal name

Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust

Website

https://camhsdorset.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Poole

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, Others

Revenue model

1. Publicly Funded NHS Healthcare: CAMHS Dorset is provided by Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust and is fully funded through the UK National Health Service (NHS). Services are free at point of use for all children and young people up to age 18 living in Dorset. Funding comes from government allocation to NHS trusts for mental health services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

CAMHS Dorset provides community-based mental health assessment, treatment and therapeutic support for children and young people up to age 18 experiencing significant mental health difficulties across Dorset. Services are delivered through a single point of access (CAMHS Gateway), six community CAMHS teams, Mental Health Support Teams in Schools, specialist inpatient care at Pebble Lodge, and structured parenting programmes, all funded and provided free at point of use by the NHS.

Product overview

CAMHS Dorset is a healthcare service operated by Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust, not a technology product company. The service is organized as a unified healthcare offering with multiple interlinked components: Core CAMHS provides the main community-based mental health assessment and treatment; CAMHS Gateway serves as the single point of access for all referrals; Mental Health Support Teams in Schools extend services into educational settings; and specialist inpatient care is available at Pebble Lodge. Treatment modalities include CBT, EMDR, family therapy, and structured parenting programmes. The service also offers guided self-help programmes and specialist pathways for eating disorders, psychosis, and learning disabilities. A new PICU is planned as part of a £73.9 million investment.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Core CAMHS (Child and Adolescent Mental Health Service) Main community-based mental health service providing assessment and treatment to children and young people up to age 18 experiencing significant mental health difficulties. Teams include doctors, nurses, occupational therapists, psychologists, and social workers across six regional clinics in Dorset.
• CAMHS Gateway Single point of access service that manages all CAMHS referrals and provides brief lower-level interventions for anxiety and depression via one-to-ones, group work, webinars, and computerised CBT (C-CBT). Young people aged 16-18 can self-refer through an online form.
• Mental Health Support Teams in Schools (MHST) School-based teams providing low-intensity Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (LI-CBT), counselling, group work and workshops to help children cope with mild-to-moderate anxiety, exam stress, and friendship issues.
• Pebble Lodge Adolescent Inpatient Service Specialist 24-hour inpatient unit in Bournemouth providing assessment, treatment and care for children and young people with severe mental health problems. Features individual therapy, group therapy, family therapy and educational support via The Quay School.
• CAMHS PICU (Psychiatric Intensive Care Unit) Planned eight-bed psychiatric intensive care unit at the Alumhurst Road site, to be built alongside existing CAMHS provision. Will include family accommodation, classrooms, and tribunal room.
• Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) Evidence-based therapy effective for anxiety and mood disorders in children and young people. Treatment typically lasts 6-20 sessions and works on the connection between thoughts, emotions, physical feelings, and behaviours.
• Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapy for people who have experienced traumatic events, using bilateral stimulation (eye movements, tapping, or buzzers) to help process difficult memories and fears. Used for trauma, anxiety, depression and OCD.
• Family Therapy Systemic psychotherapy that allows families to explore relationships and problems together, drawing out everyone's strengths to find solutions with the child at the centre.
• Parenting Programmes Group programmes for parents including FLASH (Families Learning About Self Harm), ASCEND (for autistic spectrum conditions), Incredible Years (18-week ADHD parenting programme), and Overcoming Your Child's Fear & Worries (CBT approach).
• Guided Self-Help Programmes Self-help workshops including Activate, ASD Workshop, Managing Child's Anxiety, Sleep Well, Thinking Differently, Understanding Self-Harm Together (US Together), and Worry Management.
• Young People's Eating Disorder Service (YPEDS) Local support service for young people struggling with eating disorders, accessed via GP or trusted adult referral.
• CYP Early Intervention Psychosis Service (EIS) Specialist service for young people aged 14+ experiencing early signs of psychosis.
• CAMHS Learning Disability Service Specialist service for children and young people with learning disabilities experiencing mental health difficulties.
• CAMHS SWIFTS (Outreach Community Service) Outreach service for individuals with learning disabilities who display behaviours that challenge.

Quantifiable outcome

• Wait times targeted within 4-8 weeks for first appointments
• +2 more outcomes

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature7 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Exeter UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2020Exeter University provides training for Mental Health Support Team (MHST) staff. Dorset CAMHS was awarded funding from NHS England in 2020 to establish pilot MHST teams and staff have been supported through their training at Exeter University.
• The Quay SchoolcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerThe Quay School provides education for patients during their inpatient stay at Pebble Lodge. They offer short or long-term education plans based on individual needs, covering Key Stage 3 or 4 with focus on maintaining progress, developing emotional literacy, functional literacy and numeracy, as well as vocational courses in hairdressing, catering and horticulture.
• Dorset Mental Health ForumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYoung person's peer specialists from Dorset Mental Health Forum work with the Pebble Lodge team, providing lived experience perspectives and support to young patients during their inpatient stay.
• Dorset HealthCarecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCAMHS Dorset is a service provided by Dorset HealthCare University NHS Foundation Trust, which is progressing a £73.9 million business case for a new acute mental health centre of excellence at Alumhurst Road, including a new 8-bed CAMHS PICU.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Priory Group: Largest private provider of mental health services in the UK, with dedicated child and adolescent mental health inpatient units and outpatient services. Directly comparable to Pebble Lodge and tier-4 CAMHS provision, though operating privately rather than NHS-funded.
• Cygnet Health Care: Specialist mental health provider (part of Universal Health Services) operating CAMHS-tier inpatient units including psychiatric intensive care. Comparable to Pebble Lodge and the planned CAMHS PICU in Dorset.
• Kooth: UK digital mental health platform (AIM-listed) delivering anonymous online counselling and CBT for children and young people. Directly comparable to CAMHS Dorset's MHST and Gateway tier-1/tier-2 interventions, delivered via a digital channel.
• Anna Freud Centre: UK charity and children's mental health research/treatment centre providing CAMHS-equivalent clinical services, training, and school-based programmes. Closely comparable in mission, target population (children/young people), and school-based delivery model.
• Healios: UK digital mental health provider delivering online CBT, family therapy, and EMDR for children and young people. Comparable to CAMHS Dorset's CBT/EMDR/family therapy treatment modalities via an alternative digital channel.

Others

• YoungMinds: UK charity focused on children and young people's mental health, providing advocacy, parent helplines, school resources and policy work. Adjacent to CAMHS Dorset in target population and parental support programmes like FLASH, but operating as a charity rather than a clinical provider.

Broad incumbents

• Elysium Healthcare: Large UK independent mental health provider with CAMHS-tier adolescent inpatient services and broader adult mental health. Comparable as a tier-4 CAMHS inpatient competitor to Pebble Lodge and the planned PICU.
• Mind: National UK mental health charity providing information, local services and advocacy across all age groups including children and young people. Comparable in the broader mental health ecosystem but operates as a support/advocacy charity rather than a clinical CAMHS provider.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/camhs-dorset

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about CAMHS Dorset