Ieso doubles capacity for online mental health therapy ahead of mental health fall-out from Covid-19 and global recession
Ieso predicts nationwide mental health crisis due to isolation, financial pressure and bereavement
Ieso Digital Health, a leading provider of online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to the NHS, announces it is doubling therapist capacity to address access challenges for people suffering from depression and anxiety while the normal pathways to treatment are disrupted. Ieso’s senior clinicians anticipate a nationwide uplift in the numbers of people seeking help for depression and anxiety due to an increase in typical contributing factors such as isolation, financial pressures and bereavement.
Nigel Pitchford, CEO, Ieso Digital Health said: “While the NHS has diverted efforts into managing Covid-19 and distancing measures are put in place the UK’s mental health service is being left in crisis. In our efforts to maintain a remote therapy service for the growing number of people who will seek support for common mental health conditions we are doubling the number of Ieso accredited therapists and practitioners through recruitment, fast tracking and increasing hours. We are also supporting our NHS partners in resolving the challenges to referral, triage and assessment while the usual patient routes are interrupted. The few areas that currently allow patients to self-refer to access one to one therapy are ready to handle this unprecedented situation and we contacting other areas to advise on how they can temporarily implement self-referral during this crisis.”
Sarah Bateup (pictured top), Chief Clinical Officer, Ieso Digital Health said: “I am concerned that some mental health therapy services are ceasing to take new referrals, jeopardising the internationally renowned work that has been done in the UK to improve access to psychological therapies. Clearly digital delivery has a lot to offer in these difficult times. We have decades of expertise on how to deliver online CBT in a way that amplifies effectiveness and supports therapists in their ability to provide the highest quality of care possible. Many Ieso therapists also work in NHS services and we are enabling these therapists to treat NHS managed patients on our platform for continuity of treatment. As a clinician I am worried about the millions of people who will suffer as a result of the current crisis and we are doing everything in our power to address this.”
About Ieso Digital Health:
Ieso aims to improve mental health using clinically proven digital healthcare solutions that put patients and practitioners first and remove barriers to treatment and recovery. Its ThinkWell platform provides a confidential and discreet online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) service with a network of qualified therapists and Psychological Wellbeing Practitioners (PWP). ThinkWell enables ie-CBT to be delivered in real-time, anytime, anywhere, by fully qualified therapists and PWPs through secure, real-time instant messaging. Ieso has conducted over 250,000 therapy hours, treated over 50,000 patients in England under the NHS IAPT programme (Improving Access to Psychological Therapies). It is currently available across 75 NHS clinical commissioning groups.
