King's and SilverCloud Health to partner on Technology Enhanced Interventions
Technology Enhanced Interventions:Improving access to holistic care for long-term conditions
This month, SilverCloud Health, a global provider of behavioural and mental wellness online solutions, has been awarded a Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) development grant to produce an online platform to support the self-management of symptoms and wellbeing of people with cardiovascular disease (CVD). This project will combine SilverCloud’s media-rich web platform with evidence-based, CVD-specific content developed in conjunction with academics based in the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing, King’s College London. The resulting psychoeducational and therapeutic intervention package will improve access to holistic care while reducing healthcare costs associated with CVD.
Complementing SilverCloud Health expertise in online delivered treatments for mental health disorders, a team from King’s College London, led by Dr Elizabeth Barley and comprising Professor Ian Norman, Professor Jackie Stuart,and Dr Geraldine Lee will research and develop content, carry out feasibility and usability testing, and design future research to examine the intervention’s impact.
“CVD is responsible for premature death, impaired quality of life and disproportionate use of health services. Self-management is the core of effective treatment for CVD, but can be compromised in the presence of co-morbid depression and anxiety.Improved management within the community is needed,” said Dr Elizabeth Barley,King’s College London.
“Online-delivered interventions are a low-cost and non-stigmatising way of delivering therapy and self-management support and are easy to access.However, current online psychological care packages do not address the CVD symptoms and risk factors that are related to poor outcome.”
“The SilverCloud platform promotes engagement by allowing clients to share content and seek personalised guidance from a trained online supporter.The content that King’s College London will provide will focus on managing key symptoms and encouraging a healthy lifestyle, as well as delivering cognitive behavioural therapy for psychological distress,” explains Dr Barley.
The project seeks to develop a ‘best of breed’ online intervention package that can be used across the NHS as part of stepped care, enabling more people to improve their self-management, receive timely treatment and experience improved mental and physical health. The online system may have economic benefits if the frequency of primary care and emergency departmentvisits are reduced as a result of using it.
Aislinn Enright, UK Director, SilverCloud Health said, “SilverCloud Health is proud to have been selected for this development project. The SBRI tender process is highly competitive, so we recognise success as an acknowledgment of SilverCloud’s expertise in the field of online behavioural health and wellness.We hope this represents the first of many Long Term Condition online intervention projects.”
The Small Business Research Initiative for Healthcare (SBRI Healthcare) is an NHS England initiative, championed by the newly formed Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs), who aim to promote UK economic growth whilst addressing unmet health needs and enhancing the take up of known best practice.
For further information about SilverCloud Health behavioural and mental wellness online solutions, please visit: www.silvercloudhealth.com
Notes to Editors
For further media information, please contact Oliver Stannard, Communications Officer, Florence Nighitngale School of Nursing and Midwifery, King's College London at oliver.stannard@kcl.ac.uk, or on 020 7848 3062.
For further information about King's, please visit our 'King's in Brief' page.