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Digital mental health is an attractive space for SMEs as it offers not only the potential to do good but to do it in new and innovative ways. Despite digital health being a billion-pound industry, many companies struggle as they face challenges in evaluation and barriers to implementation. On the app store there are thousands of mental health offerings but very few are evidence-based and sustainable. Our mental health system is under immense pressure with a lack of coverage for specific care and long waiting lists. There is both the need and the enthusiasm, so why is it still so difficult?
MindTech is a national centre, funded by NIHR, focusing on the development, adoption and evaluation of new technologies for mental healthcare and dementia. MindTech specialises in applications of digital technologies such as computerised therapies and diagnostics, deployed on smartphone apps, wearables and virtual reality, as well as medical devices and assistive technologies. For the past 8 years, and alongside their Involvement Team who bring expertise by experience, they have been working with industry, academia and the NHS to meet the unmet needs of patients, families and professionals through new technologies.
This webinar will provide an overview of MindTech’s research and will share the lessons they have learned through these collaborations from development all the way through to adoption. It will highlight how researchers and companies can work with each other and the NHS to develop and evaluate high quality evidence-based digital mental health interventions that lead to real world adoption.
MindTech is especially pleased to showcase case study presentations from three of their industry partners:
– BfB Labs: From problem space to solution to implementation can be a long road. BfB Labs will share their journey to rolling out a multi-award winning ‘Digital therapeutic app’ (CE marked medical device)
– ProReal: Avatar therapy and virtual world technology in mental healthcare
– QbTech: Highlighting the support that they had to achieve their many successes
After the presentations there will be a Q&A .
DURATION: 1.5 hours
This webinar is brought to you by the National Institute for Healthcare Research MindTech MedTech Co-operative, organised and delivered by Medilink Midlands and funded through a University of Nottingham Small Business Engagement Award.
Speaker Profiles:
Dr. Michael Craven, Principal Research Fellow, NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative
Mike leads the Technology, Design and User Experience theme within MindTech. At the University of Nottingham he is a member of the Bioengineering research group in the Faculty of Engineering and the Institute of Mental Health’s Centre for Dementia. Mike contributes expertise in design and evaluation of digital health, medical device related interventions and assistive technologies. He conducts health technology assessments for NHS organisations and industry and contributes to policy on digital mental health. Currently, he is co-investigator on several of MindTech’s large collaborations and trials of technologies which include evaluation of cognitive training software, remote/mobile mental health and virtual reality therapy, and various co-design projects with patients and healthcare professionals.
Dr Aislinn Bergin, Research Fellow, NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative
Aislinn is primarily working on the gameChange project – an automated VR therapy for people with psychosis – where her research focuses on the implementation and sustainability of complex interventions.
Aislinn has a PhD in Digital Mental Health and a BA (Hons) in Developmental Psychology. Previous research has covered the use and development of digital mental health which led her to research that could help ensure high quality evidence-based digital mental health is adopted into the health and social care economy. She has previously worked as research manager at a local Healthwatch ensuring that peoples’ voices are heard in health and social care, which provided her with significant insight into how local health economies function.
Rebecca Woodcock, Patient and Public Involvement Co-ordinator: Mental Health & Technology Research, NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative
Informed by a career championing diverse voices in the charity sector and benefiting from a recent MSC in Voluntary Sector Management, Rebecca brings both passion and personal lived experience to supporting patient and public involvement.
Her role involves developing and delivering our Involvement strategy, whilst working with colleagues across the Institute of Mental Health, other Biomedical Research Council (BRC) themes, national bodies and industry partners to support the implementation of best practice within PPI.
As well as working with Researcher to develop and refine their PPI strategies, Rebecca has recently co-produced a framework for supporting digital PPI and worked with PPI colleagues and public contributors to present at the MindTech Annual Conference.
Dr Charlotte Hall, Senior Research Fellow, NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative
Charlotte’s main areas of interest include the implementation of technology to support the assessment, monitoring and treatment of mental health disorders within children and young people, particularly in neurodevelopmental disorders.
Charlotte has specific expertise of the design, conduct and management of clinical trials in community child mental health services and child and adolescent mental health services (CAMHS) and is interested in the nuances in online trail delivery.
Charlotte is trial manager for the ORBIT study, which is evaluating the remote digital intervention for tics. Amongst other studies, Charlotte is also a co-investigator on the FACT trial, assessing the use of the QbTest for young people in prison (led by Dr Chitsabesan at the University of Manchester), the QUOTA Trial assessing QbTest or medication management (led by Dr Maddie Groom at the University of Nottingham) and the SATURN trial which looks at medication for children with ADHD and tics. Charlotte is also acting as site lead for the OPTIMA Trial, investigating the online delivery of a parent ADHD intervention and is principal investigator on the WAIT study looking at waiting list interventions in CAMHS. She was also the trial manager on the AQUA Trial which investigated the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the QbTest, the findings of which are being implemented in routine practice.
Dr Jen Martin, Senior Programme Manager, NIHR MindTech MedTech Co-operative
Jen has worked in the healthcare technology field for more than 20 years and is currently MindTech’s Senior Programme Manager. Prior to this, Jen was Senior Research Fellow in Human Factors at the University of Nottingham. Jen’s interests lie in the development, evaluation and adoption of mental health technologies such as Virtual Reality, games and digital interventions.
Jen is a co-investigator on the NIHR-funded gameChange project which is using VR to transform the lives of people with psychosis, and leads the implementation workstream within this. She is a member of NHS England’s Expert Reference Group for Digital Innovation and Adoption and is also an advisor to NICE as part of their work on accreditation of mobile health apps.
Manjul Rathee, CEO, BFB Labs
Manjul is an impact entrepreneur, with deep expertise in service design & product innovation in a variety of sectors (including health tech, youth welfare, wellness travel and more). She is the CEO of BFB Labs, a highly innovative mental health tech company developing cutting edge digital therapeutics for better youth mental health, and the Co-founder of sight loss public health initiative Eye Heroes. She has a Masters in Sustainability, and has led the development of multi-award winning digital products/services and taking them to market nationally and internationally.
Andrew Jackson, Chief Executive, ProReal
As a Partner at PwC and an Executive in IBM, Andrew has over 25 years’ experience supporting organisations and people through change. Curious about coaching and technology, Andrew was the co-founder of ProReal Ltd, a company and a team who believe in a world where relationships and sense-making are built on more than words. They have developed an avatar-based 3D visualisation technology to help people tell their stories and share how they see the world. ProReal’s research programme describes the technology’s adoption in healthcare, prisons, schools, and social care settings, and by several NHS Trusts.
Jo Barosa, Account Director, QbTech and UK & Operational Lead for the National Programme Focus ADHD
Working for over 2 decades in the ADHD arena, 10 of them at Qbtech, Jo is passionate about improving outcomes for children and adults by consulting on ADHD care pathways and supporting clinicians, services and Trusts with business plans, clinical information and governance and procurement considerations to secure additional funding needed to support positive change, including adoption of objective testing (QbTest).
