MHCO was formed in 2009 when Oakdale developed a partnership with Mental Health Concern, a large charity based in the North-East, to deliver a primary care psychological therapies service in Northumberland.
During two years of joint working it became increasingly clear that MHCO had become a successful partnership and MHCO was commissioned to provide other primary care psychological therapy services in new areas. In October 2011, Mental Health Concern acquired Oakdale which became MHCO, a not for profit social enterprise. Oakdale is still used as the trading name for some services and others are delivered under the name of MHCO. As a not for profit organisation MHCO’s business objectives are primarily social and all income is invested into operations to make them as efficient and effective as possible.