Kooth: Bringing clinical and digital together to add value to mental health services

At Kooth's recent Commissioner Day in London, the presentations got me reflecting on just how tough the current healthcare - and wider economic situation - is for so many people. In the two decades I've spent in the NHS, and in my years at Kooth, I can't remember another time when pressures on healthcare were quite so acute. The sheer volume of vulnerable people either stuck on trollies for hours on end waiting for hospital treatment, or those living with conditions for weeks, months or even years for basic assessment and treatment, is almost beyond comprehension.

This raises the need to question how we work and the operating models that we utilise, and digital is clearly a part of the discussion. I, like everybody else, enjoy innovation and shiny new things. I'm also naturally cautious, which is maybe not a bad thing for a clinical lead. Together, that's why I believe when we think about innovation we need to consider the value add but always with safety at the heart.

Focusing on integrated, person-centred care

The good news is that mental health services, often enabled by digital innovation, are already shifting from tier-based approaches to an integrated, person-centred, and needs-led approach that reflects how people’s needs change over time.

This 'Thrive' model has been so welcomed within CAMHS services, and others, that it is now being adopted across some adult services too. The recognition that people are complex and ever changing and can enter services at different points, opens up the ability to rethink service delivery and enables digital tools to be integrated within the wider care system.

It's worth remembering that people with mental health difficulties often need to move quickly from one area of support in the Thrive model to another. Or they need to have access to multiple segments at the same time.

At Kooth, we pride ourselves on being able to offer that really fluid and person-centred approach. Whereas many traditional services operate within one segment, our digital model is built around the recognition that needs can change over time, or in an instant.

In short, Kooth is designed around the individual, not the institution, and supports all four segments of Thrive.

Therapeutic choice holds the key

Within the Kooth service, therapeutic choice is vital and Kooth is a full mental health toolkit, giving our users the opportunity to choose the kind of support that works for them. Sometimes people who come to us know exactly what they want, sometimes they're not sure, but it's important to us that they feel empowered to make those decisions, see what's on offer, try different things. Choice for service users is really empowering and feeling empowered is important within mental health.

Of course, the impact that Kooth makes to mental health service provision across the country is built upon our digital platform. It’s an example of how innovation can help ease the pressures on the wider healthcare system by enabling early intervention and prevention. At the same time, we need to recognise the current NHS emergency, and mobilise Kooth’s digital solutions to help overcome the major challenges.

This could be reducing the volume of CAMHS referrals, supporting people on waiting lists through a digital waiting room, assisting concerned parents and carers, or providing the tools required post discharge to reduce readmissions. Whatever the need, we believe in the help innovation can offer and we look forward to working with commissioners to navigate through these extraordinary times.

To find out how Kooth’s digital innovations mentioned above can help drive better outcomes for patients and healthcare services, email ask@kooth.com and we’ll be in touch.