The genesis of the Cambian Group was an 18 bed rehabilitation hospital that was piloted in 2003 in a company called NHP Healthcare Partnerships.

NHP Healthcare Partnerships was the subject of a management buyout in 2004 backed by GI Partners and Cambian Healthcare was formed.

The team were driven by a desire to deliver better life outcomes for patients, often excluded from mainstream society and stigmatised because of their illness or disabilities, and developed a therapeutic programme called Active Care. The Active Care model was unique in providing a transparent and measurable way of mapping MDT inputs as well as quantitively evaluating patient progress.

In September 2005, 7 special needs schools were purchased and Cambian Education was created. This acquisition brought with it over 30 years of experience and expertise in the field of Autistic Spectrum Disorders. The Cambian Schools were the pioneers of the 52 week "Waking Day Curriculum" for students with autism and today continue to lead with Information Communication Technologies in classrooms, Behavioural Therapy, Speech and Language therapy and an innovative curriculum, all encapsulated in the Active Learning programme. Moreover, the Cambian schools have been given Ofsted's highest rating and praised as delivering an "outstanding level of care and education" in 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009.
 
Always moving toward a person-centred approach and care, Cambian Education and Cambian Healthcare continued to grow organically developing leading edge real estate and services to become market leaders in their respective fields.

During 2009, the divisions recognised the value of combining their clinical and educational functions and expertise to create a formidable force in the field of specialist healthcare and education and worked towards the creation of the Cambian Group - which was launched in the beginning of 2010.

The Cambian Group today are leaders in specialist education, mental health and complex care services, with 41 facilities, 3,000 amazing staff and a multi-award winning reputation. With the continued support of GI Partners and a dedicated management team, the Cambian Group intends to expand into new geographical areas and develop further leading edge services over the coming few years.