NHS staff across England get free access to mental health apps Daylight and Sleepio

• Daylight and Sleepio apps available to everyone working in the NHS to support their mental health during the crisis
• NHS staff can download mental health apps for free to help with sleep and anxiety during COVID-19 pandemic
• Announcement part of nationwide drive to digitise healthcare, starting with workforce mental health

All NHS staff can now access free apps to cope with insomnia and anxiety as part of a nationwide effort to support the mental health of the national health service workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic.

NHS England has today [Thursday 26 March] announced a national mental health support programme to provide NHS staff with evidence-based digital programmes to protect their mental health during the COVID-19 response. The apps are designed to help maintain healthy and restorative sleep, reduce anxiety and worry, and to help them learn evidence-based techniques to address mental health issues when they arise.

The NHS-accredited apps Daylight – designed to help with worry and anxiety – and Sleepio – a digital sleep improvement programme featuring Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) techniques – are both developed by digital therapeutics company Big Health. Fifteen NHS trusts and six GP practices have already rolled out access to the programmes to over 100,000 staff, with the apps now made freely available to all NHS employees across the country in partnership with NHS England.

As the UK’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic intensifies, NHS staff are at the frontline and being placed under mounting pressure. Whilst reconfiguring hospitals to prioritise treatment of COVID-19 patients, the Government has also made emergency changes to the Mental Health Act to increase the capacity of mental health services, and providers have moved rapidly to adopt tele-health solutions.

Big Health co-founder and Professor of Sleep Medicine at the University of Oxford, Professor Colin Espie, has praised NHS England’s quick response in protecting the mental health of NHS staff as well as their physical health during the pandemic.

Commenting on Big Health’s partnership with NHS England Professor Espie said:

“I’m honoured that Big Health is able to support our colleagues in the NHS to help safeguard their mental health during these most challenging of times. NHS staff are working under enormous pressure whilst also experiencing significant changes to their lives at home as a result of COVID-19. We built Sleepio and Daylight to help people effectively manage their mental health whether the challenges occur during the night, or day.”

Chris Adams, GP and Managing Director of HFP Medical, added:

“COVID-19 has placed a great strain on the mental health of our staff and patients. Digital solutions like Sleepio and Daylight allow us to provide instant support for those working either on the NHS frontline or from home and for those self-isolating, helping to keep people healthy during this difficult time.”

Sleepio and Daylight are available at no cost to everyone working in the NHS to support their mental health during the COVID-19 pandemic. These solutions aim to support staff to maintain healthy and restorative sleep, reduce anxiety and worry, and to help them learn evidence-based techniques to address mental health issues when they arise.

For media inquiries, please contact press@bighealth.com.

About Big Health

Big Health’s purpose is to help millions back to good mental health, with digital therapeutics – fully automated and highly personalised behavioural programs for mental health. Big Health’s lead products are Sleepio™ for helping individuals address poor sleep; and Daylight™ for helping individuals address worry and anxiety. Designed by leading clinical experts, Big Health’s solutions feature evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) techniques and are backed by 37 peer-reviewed research studies including 12 randomised controlled trials. With offices in London and San Francisco, Big Health’s products are used by large multinational employers and major health plans to help improve sleep and mental health. To date, more than 12 million people have access to Sleepio or Daylight. For more information, visit us at www.bighealth.com.