The Solent Recovery College in Portsmouth, currently provided by Solent Mind in partnership with the NHS, will become part of Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust (HIOWH) from 1 April 2025. As part of this transition, Solent Mind will no longer run the service, but existing staff will transfer to HIOWH, ensuring courses continue as usual both in-person and online.

From April, the recovery college will be part of a new, expanded service covering the whole of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, giving students access to a wide range of courses, more flexible learning options and support closer to home. This change aims to ensure that more people can benefit from recovery-focused education, no matter where they live in the region.

Ian Stiff, Chief Operating Officer (COO) for Services at Solent Mind, said: “We are proud of delivering a very strong portfolio of mental health management and employment focused courses through our Solent Recovery College (SRC) over many years in Portsmouth. It’s been heartening to hear from students who have benefited from our staff’s lived experience of mental health, creating a safe and effective space to learn, and I’m delighted that the team will be able to continue to deliver these vital courses as part of the new Hampshire-wide service within with the Trust. We’re committed to working in partnership to ensure a smooth transition for our SRC students during the change.”

Sarah Williams, Director of Research and Improvement at Hampshire and Isle of Wight Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said: “The vision is to deliver a single recovery college across the Hampshire and Isle of Wight area to support people to recover and live well with physical and mental health conditions. In the future, people will be able to choose how and where they wish to undertake courses, and this will not be limited to where they live. We are looking forward to working with the Solent Mind recovery college team to develop a single college for our population across the region.”

More information on spring courses and the new recovery college website will be shared soon.