To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, clinical experts from across the Health Innovation Network have shared examples of local innovation projects which are not only helping to improve the health of patients, but are shifting care from treatment to prevention, and improving NHS productivity.
Mental ill health is also now the most common cause of work-limiting conditions among those aged 44 years and younger (1). By improving access to early intervention, personalised care and timely support, we can help more people manage their mental health and enable them to return to work – improving their quality of life while also boosting the economy.
Rebecca Whitting
Health Innovation South West (HISW) is supporting CareLoop, a digital platform to prevent relapse for those with serious mental illness. A&E departments in Devon see around 27 visits a day from people living with a Severe Mental Illness (SMI), which equates to approximately 10% of all A&E visits, and a significant cost to the NHS in the region. HISW are supporting the innovation’s implementation in Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, Devon Partnership Trust and LiveWell Southwest, who will be the first NHS trusts in the country to trial the platform across a region.
Rebecca Whitting, Executive Director of Innovation Implementation at Health Innovation South West, said: “In our South West rural and coastal communities, long travel times and high costs to access both primary and secondary care mean that many residents are left without specialist mental health services. Plus, 28% of people in the Peninsula and 51% in Cornwall & Isles of Scilly live over 20km from an Emergency Department, forcing greater reliance on crisis care.
“CareLoop’s technology provides real-time monitoring and support, improving both patient outcomes and healthcare efficiency. CareLoop has developed a digital therapeutic(DTx) to support people with SMIs like psychosis, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder. Prescribed by clinicians and delivered remotely through a patient’s smartphone, the technology improves self-management via predictive Cognitive Behaviour Therapy for psychosis(CBTp), whilst providing healthcare workers with real-time symptom insights to help identify early warning signs (EWS) of deterioration to prevent relapses that subsequently result in hospital and emergency care visits.”
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Tend VR is a virtual reality platform delivering Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy (VR-MBCT) for depression and anxiety, delivered at a time and place chosen by the service user. MBCT is one of the most thoroughly clinically tested and effective tools to reduce stress, anxiety, and low mood (2). In a feasibility study with patients who had a history of depression, results showed depression scores reduced by 49% after using the platform.
Health Innovation East are co-applicants with Tend VR on a number of grants and implementation projects to support this innovation. For example, one of the projects is looking at using this intervention with farming and agricultural workforces, recognising that this population is an underserved population for mental health therapies. Mental health issues are a significant concern in farming, with studies indicating lower mental wellbeing compared to the general population and a high prevalence of depression and anxiety (3).
Dr Sarah Robinson
Dr Sarah Robinson, Clinical Psychologist and Director of Delivery at Health Innovation East, said: “We are delighted to be working closely with Tend VR to support rapid deployment and evidence generation of this novel delivery of a well-understood and evidence-based therapeutic technique. The VR technology supports scaling of this intensive therapeutic intervention and offers the opportunity for more people to benefit from the therapy techniques. Early feedback highlights that VR both encourages people to continue with therapy sessions, and, owing to the environment the users are transported to via VR being calming for them, allows people to better engage in therapy sessions, rather than being distracted by their own environment.”
TendVR is also one of 22 innovators who successfully secured funding in the second round of Innovate UK’s Mindset programme which aims to catalyse the growth of immersive digital mental health solutions in the UK. Health Innovation Network South London works with Innovate UK to deliver the Mindset-XR Innovator Support Programme of expert advice, UK-wide engagement activities, and health and industry-wide roundtables.
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In North West London (NWL), there is distinct variation in access and outcomes for children and young people (CYP) with mental health and neurodevelopmental (ND) related difficulties. Data for NWL from April 2018-2023 shows that patients living in the most deprived areas have 1.5 times higher odds to be coded for a mental condition than the least deprived areas.
Larry Koyama
As part of a Mission-led approach to innovation in CYP mental health in the region, Imperial College Health Partners is focusing on integrating mental health and neurodevelopmental expertise into an existing model of care, Child Health Hubs (CHHs), to provide better support and management for patients. Previous evaluation of CHHs, demonstrates a 22% reduction in A&E attendances and a 17% reduction in paediatric admissions. ICHP is co-designing this new, integrated model with two Implementation Sites who run CHHs and are keen to embed this integrated approach. Sites were selected using a data and health inequalities based approach which considered prevalence, IMD, and proportion of CYP presenting to A&E and coded for mental health conditions.
Larry Koyama, Mission and Portfolio lead said: “Integrating mental health provision in this way will provide a mechanism for cross-system first-line support to children and young people, addressing key problems identified across the crisis and ND pathways – including earlier support, timely access to signposting, and addressing inequalities. Phase 1 of this integrated approach is currently in the implementation stage and will be evaluated in June 2025. There are 45 PCNS in NW London with 23 of these running CHHs. We envisage that scaling this will take time but given the willingness in the system to adopt this way of working we see huge potential for adoption and spread.”
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Charlotte Hall
There is a high level of growing demand for adult ADHD services across the North West Coast region, with very long waiting lists and limited NHS commissioned capacity available. Based on the local population there are potentially 50,000 patients in need of support. This results in many people being left without any support, and huge costs to the NHS. Health Innovation North West Coast has worked with partners to co-design a new service model that enhances primary care support, including a new patient self-assessment tool, self-management platform and a dedicated mental health practitioner, ensuring the right care is available at the right time for individuals seeking support. Savings of £103million are predicted if this new model was implemented to meet that demand.
Charlotte Hall, Senior Programme Manager at Health Innovation North West Coast, said: “The model is currently being implemented across Cheshire and Merseyside ICB and looks to save money, create time back to care, and improve lives of people in our society. It meets all three Government priorities, bringing care closer to home by enhancing Primary Care support, transitioning from analogue to digital through the adoption of a number of digital technologies and introducing a needs-led model to enable earlier access to support, preventing the escalation of symptoms and moving from sickness to prevention.”
Contact your local health innovation network to find out how we could support you.
References
To mark Mental Health Awareness Week, clinical experts from across the Health Innovation Network have shared examples of local innovation projects which are not only helping to improve the health of patients, but are shifting care from treatment to prevention, and improving NHS productivity. Mental ill health is also now the most common cause of [...]
Join us on 11 and 12 June in Manchester to find out how the Health Innovation Network is improving health and driving wealth through health innovation. This year we’ll be joined on our stand by 18 Network-supported innovators, showcasing innovations which are helping to deliver the Government’s three shifts for the NHS and solve some [...]
The Health Innovation Network is delighted to announce the launch of Innovation Insights, a brand-new webinar series designed to highlight the latest in health innovation, offering attendees valuable insights into the adoption and spread of innovation within the health and care landscape. Each interactive webinar will feature: Expert presentations: Delivered by thought leaders across [...]
