A stretched NHS department has trialled a new programme that has proven to support patients and families on waiting lists, providing tailored information, training and resources.
A new WhatsApp based speech therapy programme could change the way support is given to patients waiting for an NHS appointment, following a pilot scheme in Bury that has been hailed a “huge success”.
With some patients waiting many months for a speech therapy assessment, this new programme has allowed families to learn and take actions to support children with a language developmental challenge.
In a UK first for the NHS, the Can-Do programme, developed by Joanne Jones, a Consultant Speech and Language Therapist, has been adapted into a new WhatsApp service by Manchester based Capture 1 to enhance communication and interaction with patients, and to deliver relevant resources.
First introduced by NHS Bury, the pilot scheme has been so well received by patients and NHS staff that wider rollout is being considered that would give access to many more families across the country.
“Due to the extraordinary demand for speech therapy across the region, there is an unavoidable delay from the point of referral to attending an appointment with the assessment team,” said Jane Case, programme manager in Bury at NHS Greater Manchester Integrated Care.
“Adopting WhatsApp has revolutionised the way we can deliver support and empower families to help their child begin to make progress with their speech at the earliest possible time.
“It has been a huge success, exceeding all of our expectations with overwhelmingly positive feedback.”
Joanne Jones added; “The Can-Do Programme itself had already helped thousands of families to make the most of everyday moments and boost their child’s development.”
The programme includes video lessons, a workbook, weekly message check ins on WhatsApp, regular motivational prompts sent in WhatsApp, Q&A sessions, and activities to keep children on track with their speech development.
Jane Case added, “The real success of this pilot scheme was through making the resource easy to access and a tailored experience for each user though WhatsApp.
“We have found that WhatsApp is totally accessible across a wide range of demographics and even hard to reach families – something we’ve struggled with before.”
Louise Pendry, one of the parents who used the new service, added “It has demystified speech and language therapy for me. Using WhatsApp has allowed me to make speech and language relevant to our everyday life, rather than waiting for a session to happen.
“I love being able to go back and check videos and messages when I am in the moment rather than pinning all our hopes on a therapy session.
“My favourite thing about Can Do is that it has bought joy back into mothering my son and I feel proud of us both on a daily basis.”
Audience engagement specialist and director of Capture 1, Helen Nurse, developed an automated ‘choose your own adventure’ pathway within WhatsApp, guiding parents through a series of decisions to tailor the programme to their child’s specific needs.
Whether it is completing a short activity or watching a long-form video, parents can decide which elements of the programme to engage with at any moment, resulting in a personalised experience for each user.
Helen Nurse said: “Can-Do has been hugely effective because we have focused on keeping parents highly engaged, ensuring the experience remains easy, convenient, and user-friendly.
“Everything is broken down into bite size chunks which helps it fit around everyday family life. This is especially important for families with children who have additional needs giving them immediate ideas they can use in that moment.
“With the NHS at crisis point in terms of waiting lists, WhatsApp really could revolutionise the way families receive support. It has proven to keep users motivated and engaged – making positive steps forward as they wait for appointments.”
Can-Do is built using functions and features in the WhatsApp Business platform, which Facebook (now Meta) introduced in 2018. It gives businesses the tools to create intelligent conversations, engage customers and gather valuable marketing information.
Helen Nurse continued; “Can-Do gives parents practical strategies to support their child’s confidence, communication and connection.
“We knew we could harness the features of WhatsApp Business to help automate these processes, and we knew this would increase engagement.
The WhatsApp Business platform allows users to create customer journeys that guide people to useful information and allow users to control how and when they receive it. It is fully GDPR compliant and totally secure.
WhatsApp is popular amongst all audience demographics. A 2020 Audience Project study found it to be the most important app for UK users. Almost a quarter said they couldn’t do without it. This figure increases to 32% in the 26-35 age group.
Helen Nurse concluded; “Using the WhatsApp Business platform to help children and their families has been a wonderful experience, one that we hope will be replicated across the UK.
The benefits are immediate and tangible, and we look forward to exploring how we can help other parts of the NHS exploit the technology to further improve patients’ lives.”
To find out more about Capture 1 please visit https://capture1.co.uk/.
