Situation
As per the Mental Health of Children and Young People in England 2023 report, from NHS England, it was found that 1 in 5 children and young people aged 8 to 25 residing in England likely had a mental health disorder in 2023. Despite a previous increase in rates from 2017 to 2020, the prevalence remained steady across all age groups from 2022 to 2023. The NHS is currently extending support to a record number of children and young people, having already assisted over 700,000 individuals with their mental health needs. NHS staff are exerting extraordinary efforts to meet the heightened demand for services.
Solution
In Dorset, it was acknowledged that there is a need to assist children and young people in addressing their mental health and well-being concerns when it comes to early help and prevention, especially considering the increasing demand for access and longer waiting times across services.
To address this, Public Health Dorset were involved in the selection of 10 free apps that would make up a targeted Children and Young People’s campaign with a specific landing page on the ORCHA public facing library.
The apps identified targeted particular areas around mental health and well-being including anxiety, depression, stress, sleep, self-harm and bereavement as well as apps to support friends and family members of young people who are struggling with their mental health.
A collaboration also took place with Dorset Youth Association who are part of the voluntary sector for them to reflect the same apps to ensure a consistent message at a time when young people are inundated with different messages online, including about apps and mental health.
By introducing a collection of digital health solutions helps children and young people autonomously tackle various mental health challenges or difficulties they may be facing or experiencing.
Further advantages of implementing a digital health campaign includes providing immediate access to support for those in need. Recognizing that the majority of young people are familiar with and comfortable using digital technologies, they are more inclined to engage with such initiatives.
Christian Telfer (NHS Dorset) said:
“Our population are actively searching for digital mental health and wellbeing support and clicking through to the Our Dorset App Library as a resource. Having a dedicated and trusted Youth Mental Health Apps page available is a much-needed section of that Library and reassures people that they are using apps which have met quality standards.”
Results
Since the campaign launched In August 2023 we have seen nearly 2000 individual visits to the landing page. The Dorset microsite has had 9,498 total visits in that time meaning that 19% of the sessions are from the campaign page.
There have been over 200 app downloads from the campaign, and this makes up 21% of Dorset’s downloads since the campaign was launched.
The app with the most downloads from the campaign is Move Mood with 58 downloads. Of the apps that are included in the campaign 84% of their all-time downloads on our public facing microsite have taken place since the campaign went live.
The data indicated that digital health solutions are pivotal in aiding children and young people who are struggling with their emotional health and well – being. In having a curated selection of apps available on a dedicated landing page enables them to explore and select independently, potentially influencing their emotional wellbeing positively whilst providing them immediate access to a range of different support tools.
If you would like to visit the campaign page or browse our library of health apps please visit: ourdorset.orchahealth.com/en-GB
In 2022, the UK government published the first ever Women’s Health Strategy for England to tackle the gender health gap. The 127-page strategy stated that “historically, the health and care system has been designed by men, for men”. However, this isn’t an England-specific problem. Already in 2024 the World Economic Forum has prioritised discussion on closing the gender health gap worldwide, citing “with only 1% of healthcare R&D invested in female-specific conditions, what key actions and commitments are needed to achieve gender health parity?”
Good health and improved economic power go hand in hand, particularly for women and girls. Being able to earn a living raises women, and by association their families too. A woman’s ability to do that is directly impacted by poorer health and poorer health outcomes, sometimes even premature death, when compared to men.
According to the Global Alliance for Women’s Health:
“Addressing the women’s health gap could potentially boost the global economy by at least $1 trillion annually by 2040. Investing in women’s health – which is more than just sexual or reproductive health – is therefore not only a matter of health equity, but a chance to help women have expanded workforce participation. Most importantly, it would help them live healthier lives.”
The Global Alliance for Women’s Health (weforum.org)
How is access to safe digital health helping?
ORCHA’s mission is to put the power of digital health safely into the hands of everyone who needs it.
However, when we look specifically at apps which have undergone the ORCHA Baseline Review (OBR) in the areas of women’s health and pregnancy, sadly the data only serves to highlight the World Economic Forum’s 1% statistic. ORCHA’s Data and Insights Manager, Lisa Gobin, has delved into the data and her findings are stark.
Only 9.6% of the total number of apps which have undergone the OBR are categorised to support women’s health.
And, in further concerning news, the standard of apps in this area is lower, with only 47% passing the OBR vs an overall figure (for all apps, all topics) of 51%.
In a final reflection of the lack of serious, continual, investment in apps covering women’s health only 30% of these apps meet their ESF Tier requirement vs an overall figure (for all apps, all topics) of 40%. Evidence standards framework (ESF) for digital health technologies | Our programmes | What we do | About | NICE.
There is some good news, Lisa reassures us.
The busiest year for app releases in this area was 2021 demonstrating, hopefully, an improvement in choices for women and digital health solutions offered to them. Unsurprisingly, it follows that the busiest year for app reviews undertaken by ORCHA in this area was 2022.
It is heartening to see growth and demand in this area increasing year on year. But is it enough, fast enough? And how are we ensuring that we’re meeting our mission by putting the power of digital health safely in the hands of everyone who needs it – in this case women and girls specifically?
Getting safe digital health into women’s hands starts with us
If global smartphone usage data is considered as a representation of accessibility to digital health apps, it is reassuring to read that “the gender gap in smartphone ownership is usually in the mid-single digits, where gaps exist at all.” Smartphone Ownership Is Growing Rapidly Around the World, but Not Always Equally | Pew Research Center.
Infact, Pew Research goes further, to say “gender plays only a limited role in explaining differences in technological use in most countries. Whether in advanced or emerging economies, men and women generally use technology – including smartphones, the internet and social media – at similar rates.”
It is no coincidence then that we have noticed an increased need across clients to surface safe apps to women, with the majority now dedicating areas of their public facing Health App Libraries to apps aimed at women and girls.
ORCHA Senior Customer Success Manager, Stephanie Lord, has spoken with her Project Lead for ORCHA at Sussex Community Foundation Trust to further demonstrate that the right steps are being taken to support women and girls’ health outcomes.
Mel Briers, Digital Nurse Specialist (Innovation), RGN/SCPHN – Sussex Community NHS Foundation Trust:
“Having looked after women throughout my career as a nurse and midwife I am passionate about the way digital platforms can support women of all ages, backgrounds and experiences to access high quality health and wellbeing information that will enable them to make informed decisions about their own health. Creating a Women’s Health Carousel on our SCFT ORCHA Library created a safe space, where women could seek advice and support on sensitive issues and manage their own health, in ways that would not otherwise have been available to them, going some way to promoting equity in healthcare delivery.”
Lisa backs this strategy up with ORCHA insights, women are actively searching for – and downloading – apps related to their health.
Infact, in 2023, use of Women’s Health carousel topics was up by 35% compared to 2022.
Perhaps the most startling statistic Lisa has for us is in the growth of downloads for apps in this area, the year-on-year increase has been consistent since 2018. Unsurprisingly, during the COVID pandemic and lockdowns downloads in this area increased exponentially, seeing growth in 2020 of 920% compared to 2019.
But even without the effect of lockdowns, from 2021 to 2023 downloads increased again, by 223%, and given the increased searches this year so far, we are predicting further growth consistent with this trend.
Our next steps
ORCHA Senior Vice-President for UK Health Systems, Alison Johnson, knows exactly what our next steps need to be:
” As part of our activation strategies, and from the emergent data trends being seen, we have a great opportunity to create portfolios of safe Apps that support a wide range of support for Women. Our work with our clients in curating access to these products means we can support more women in improving their self-care, and more importantly, improve women’s health outcomes.”
And it’s true – women and girls have the technology they need in their hands, and when presented with safe digital solutions they’re engaged and open to accessing the support. There is a worldwide demand to serve them improved health outcomes. But, as we’ve noted, the growth of apps in this area peaked in 2021, and the quality of women’s health apps assessed by ORCHA isn’t as consistently high as the average health app. So whilst the work has most definitely started, there is a long way to go.
The future for the sector is clearer than ever, as ORCHA’s Founding CEO Liz Ashall-Payne tells us:
“Looking back on mine and the teams journey with ORCHA, I’ve seen a significant increase in awareness and support for women’s health. As we move forward into the digital era, let’s continue to advocate for innovation and accessibility in healthcare, empowering every woman with the resources she needs to lead a healthy life. Together, we’re not just shaping the future; we’re revolutionising it—one digital step at a time”.
Supporting increased demand on primary care services during the challenging winter months.
Situation
The Winter months often bring about increased demand for primary care services. This surge in demand can put additional pressure on healthcare providers who are already managing various healthcare needs. Some common reasons for increased demands during the winter period include;
Solution
To target those wanting to manage and maintain their health and well-being needs during the winter months and in line with health providers specific needs of our targeted patient cohort. We worked closely with our UK Health System clients to create a ‘Staying Well This Winter’ Campaign.
This included:
Results
By featuring the campaign across several of our UK health system client microsites, we have expanded the campaign’s reach to a wider and diverse audience. The landing page has provided valuable tools for individuals to sustain their health and wellbeing, which has likely contributed to the campaign’s success. Running the campaign from November 2023 to February 2023 and seeing nearly 13,000 people access the page indicates sustained interest and engagement throughout its duration.
A further example of the campaign’s success is that 7000 citizens across one of our UK health system client population visited the site which generated 1600 downloads of apps as a result of this specific campaign with a reach of 22% of the targeted population that the campaign was shared . Overall the most downloaded app within the campaign was digital healthy passport which since November has had over 600 people download the app.
The high number of accesses to the landing page reflects the relevance and importance of the campaign in educating individuals on self-managing their health, especially during the winter months but also throughout the year. Increasing awareness and empowering individuals to take charge of their health through digital solutions is invaluable, and this campaign has evidently succeeded in making a meaningful contribution towards this goal.
Winter Pressures – Humber & North Yorkshire (hnyhealthapps.co.uk)
Situation
Suicide is the biggest killer of under 35s in the UK. Papyrus is the national charity founded for the prevention of young suicide, providing confidential support and advice to young people struggling with thoughts of suicide, and anyone worried about a young person through its helpline, HOPELINE247.
Aware that people search online to find support for their mental health, including searching for apps, Papyrus wanted to supply a digital resource following a call to HOPELINE247, and to have available for those who do not call. But the charity understood that although there are thousands of apps to choose from, the vast majority are not safe or secure with managing personal details.
Solution
To identify the best apps across a range of challenges its service users face, and to create a platform that allows safe and secure distribution of the apps, Papyrus decided to work with the Organisation for the Review of Care and Health Apps.
Working closely with the Papyrus team, ORCHA delivered a Health App Library in Papyrus branding, featuring shortcuts to apps specifically selected to support the most common mental health challenges its users face. Papyrus built the Library into its website, so that all clients have a place where they can find trusted apps.
Alongside this self-serve solution, ORCHA also delivered a solution that enables Papyrus’ HOPELINE247 staff to be able to quickly and easily find apps, and send to them securely by email or text to a caller whilst they are on the line. ORCHA gave the HOPELINE247 team training to ensure they felt comfortable with the system and the apps they would be recommending.
The ORCHA customer success manager worked with the Papyrus project lead to create material and a plan to promote the service to young people who may be thinking about suicide, highlighting this vital new service.
Results
There are now 35 HOPELINE247 team members who are trained and recommending apps to the people they support, with 10% of these being the most active champions.
Since launching, almost 20,000 people have accessed the service.
To bring this impact to life, we share the story of one service user:
A young person contacted HOPELINE247 and explained they were feeling suicidal. Following the loss of a grandparent, they felt like everything was getting too much and was self-harming in order to cope. They also shared that they often feel anxious in school. Having different interests to most of their peers, they feel isolated and as though they don’t fit in.
The adviser explored this with the client, and reflected on why having different interests make us who we are, and suggested finding some local groups where people share those interests.
The caller shared they would like this and agreed to consider sharing their thoughts of suicide and self-harm with their Mum as well. They also agreed that some further support would be helpful, but especially at night, as that is when their thoughts are more intrusive and they struggle to stay safe from suicide.
Together, the caller and adviser created a HOPELINK safety plan which included a plan for the caller to keep safe from any plans for suicide, the reasons the caller does want to stay alive, some coping strategies and signposting.
The adviser discussed with the caller how having some different apps on their phone that only they have access to and that they can also access on the go any time day or night might be helpful, the caller agreed. The adviser then explained to the caller that there are a lot of different apps out there, and that we have an resource called Orcha that is a safe way at finding a suitable app, the adviser put the link for Orcha in the safety plan for the caller to access.
The caller shared they was able to stay safe and felt able to call us back should they need further help.
Just over a month later, the caller phoned back as they wanted to disable their suicide plan. The adviser revisited the HOPELINK safety plan with them where they asked if the caller was able to have a look at some apps. The caller shared that they had and had found this resource helpful and had helped them to stay safe since the time of their last call with HOPELINE.
Commenting on the project, Sophie Addison, HOPELINE247 Manager at PAPYRUS said: “Young people use there phones a lot, so why not use there phones to save their lives, and with ORCHA that enables our service users to find a service that they can privately have on their phones, that they have access to pretty much all the time.”