NHS commissions mental health support app for Londoners

NHS-approved online mental wellbeing service Good Thinking has partnered with My Possible Self to provide Londoners with free tools for tackling stress, anxiety and depression.

My Possible Self is a smartphone app that offers techniques for helping reduce stress and anxiety.

The app offers self-help learning modules based on proven psychological methods such as cognitive behavioural therapy as well as insight tools to help users track their mood over time.

Through its partnership with Good Thinking, the app has been made available to all Londoners free of charge and will offer new NHS-approved ways of helping users combat poor mental health.

Dr Richard Graham, consultant psychiatrist and clinical director for Good Thinking, said: “We know that one in four Londoners is going to experience a mental wellbeing problem in their lifetime, and many people are looking for new ways to proactively be mentally well.

“Our goal at Good Thinking is to find apps that contain the content that will make a difference to your mental health, but also give you a good user experience.

“We think My Possible Self succeeds in both of these areas, and are excited to be bringing My Possible Self to the attention of Londoners, free of charge. We really think it can make a difference.”

My Possible Self was founded as a not-for-profit organisation in 2009.

While it provided many users with access to counselling, its model meant it was limited in the number of people it could support.

Good Thinking has been commissioned by all 32 London-based NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups, a majority of London Borough Local Authorities, and supported by Public Health England, NHS England and the Mayor of London.

It partnered with CTB-based sleep app Sleepio in March, making it free on the NHS for those living and working in London.

My Possible Self has now been commissioned by the NHS through its partnership with Good Thinking.

Fleur Wilkinson, director of My Possible Self, said: “We are delighted to be working with Good Thinking to provide safe and proactive self-help for Londoners who want better mental health.

“We believe that digital technology has an important role to play in promoting self-management and behavioural change at scale.”

My Possible Self is also taking part in the DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme that aims to speed up the adoption of technology in the capital’s NHS, relieving high pressure on services and empowering patients to manage their health.

Jenny Thomas, DigitalHealth.London Accelerator programme director, said: “It is fantastic to see more and more NHS organisations adopting new technologies to solve some of their long-standing challenges.

“I commend this move from the Good Thinking initiative, which will mean that more Londoners can access the mental health support they need, whilst alleviating pressure on the health service.

“Mental health waiting lists can be long, and this partnership with My Possible Self will help to put mental healthcare back into the hands of patients.”