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Delivering digital and AI mental healthcare solutions
The need for effective and accessible support for mental health has never been higher. The Centre for Mental Health has estimated that up to 10 million people are likely to need new or additional mental health support as a result of the pandemic.1
This demand for services accelerated during the pandemic. It's now also intensified by anxiety around:
- the economy
- inflation
- increasing pressure on household budgets
The British Medical Association recently warned psychiatry has been an under-filled specialty for too long. Despite recent gains in the trainee psychiatric workforce, there are still not enough doctors in mental health services.
There are also gaps in the wider mental health workforce that need to be urgently addressed.1
At a care crossroads
Dr Luke James, Bupa Group Deputy Chief Medical Officer and Director of Healthcare Transformation, says,
“We are at a crossroads. We must decide whether to keep investing more and more money and resource into traditional ways of delivering care. Or we find new ways to provide effective evidence-based support and mental health care.”
Artificial intelligence (AI), big data and machine-learning – getting computers to think for themselves and learn without being guided by an explicit program – are already reshaping the future of mental healthcare.
Opportunity to rethink
Pritesh Mistry, Digital Technologies Fellow at the King’s Fund, says,
“Advances in technology provide the opportunity to reconsider what good-quality, effective health and care looks like.
“Technology can improve access to information to enable better decisions about what will work for an individual and can enable individuals to have more control and knowledge about their health.”2
Predicting risk
Scientists at the Alan Turing Institute in London are using these technologies to develop modelling tools and algorithms. They hope this will predict an individual’s risk of mental health problems, including:3
depression
anxiety
dementia
This could open the door to preventative interventions. It would give us a deeper understanding of the genetic and lifestyle factors that influence mental health. And also, how we might modify them, as well as better diagnose and treat those at most risk.
Ultimately the Institute hopes to integrate mobile technology and online data analytics to give people personalised feedback on their health throughout their life.
Empowering change
Luke says,
“The future of AI and healthcare are deeply interconnected, and I am excited by the potential this offers. There is enormous potential to improve care and outcomes for healthcare consumers.
“These technologies will never replace person-to-person mental health care, but they do offer a convenient, effective and user-friendly option for the treatment of a number of common challenges such as mild to moderate anxiety and depression.
“Perhaps more importantly, they empower users to take more control of their own healthcare through an understanding of potential triggers for problems, and simple lifestyle changes to support better mental health.”
Blua sky thinking
Bupa is already unlocking this potential through:
The SilverCloud digital platform
SilverCloud is an easy-to-access platform which can be used to build resilience, or manage mental health.
It is clinically proven to be as effective as face-to-face therapy, with up to 80% of users showing improvement in anxiety and depression.
Bupa Blua Health app
Personalise your health experience in-app by combining convenient and connected healthcare. Users can:
- check symptoms
- book and attend GP consultations over the phone or through video chat
- order and track prescriptions
A new partnership with JAAQ
JAAQ is an innovative mental health platform which uses voice recognition and AI technology to connect users with leading mental health experts and motivators.
It provides advice on more than 50 subjects ranging from depression, to sleep, to nutrition.
People centred platforms
Dr Arun Thiyagarajan, General Manager, Bupa Health Clinics, says,
“Another huge plus with these platforms is that people can access them when they want. We know that some people, find it difficult to ask for help. Stigma, lack of trust in available resources, or the severity of symptoms are all known to influence help seeking behaviours.”4
It’s estimated that 29.2% of adults will develop a mental illness at some time in their lives.
But, fewer than a quarter (22.5%) will seek help.
Luke says,
“That comes at a huge personal and societal cost in terms of their quality of life, ability to function, the impact this has at home and work and future relapses.5
“Investing in support which encourages people to take a more proactive approach to their mental health, and to seek help when they are struggling will help to head off problems and build stronger, more productive and engaged teams.”
Resources and guides
Opening up about mental health
Read our manager's guide to promoting good mental health in the workplace.
Workplace Health and Wellbeing Academy
Providing you with the resources to help line managers address key health issues and topics.
1 Care Quality Commission. Published: 2022. Accessed: 2022. https://www.cqc.org.uk/publications/major-reports/soc202021_01d_mh-care-demand
2 The King’s Fund. Published: 2020. Accessed: 2022. https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/digital-revolution
3 The Alan Turing Institute. Published: 2019. Accessed: 2022. https://www.turing.ac.uk/research/research-projects/ai-precision-mental-health
4 The Association for Child and Adolescent Mental Health. Published: 2020. Accessed: 2022. https://www.acamh.org/blog/young-peoples-help-seeking-behaviours/
5 BMC. Published: 2021. Accessed: 2022. https://bmcpsychiatry.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12888-021-03435-4
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