Digital therapeutics company Big Health has partnered with Macmillan Cancer Support to help newly diagnosed cancer patients in the UK to access free digital mental health treatments.
The new partnership will provide patients aged 18 or over in the UK with free access to Big Health’s digital solutions Sleepio and Daylight, to provide support with insomnia and anxiety.
The solutions provide personalised treatment by guiding users through evidence-based cognitive behavioural therapy. They are accessible through web browser or smartphone app and available 24 hours a day. According to Big Health, randomised controlled trials found that 71 percent of people who used Daylight achieved a reduction in anxiety, and 76 percent of Sleepio users achieved clinical improvement in sleep.
The partnership expands on Big Health’s existing partnership with NHS Scotland, through which all Scottish adults have access to Sleepio and Daylight.
“We are delighted to be partnering with Big Health so that together we can help improve the lives of people living with cancer across the UK,” said Hannah Redmond, Director of Commercial Partnerships and Innovation at Macmillan Cancer Support. “We know that many people struggle with sleep, worry and anxiety as a result of their cancer diagnosis, so providing this group with free access to Sleepio and Daylight means they can benefit from vital mental health support when they need it most. We look forward to continuing our work with Big Health and ensuring all people with cancer can access this crucial support in future.”
Heather Cook, UK Director for Big Health, commented: “Ensuring access for cancer patients to gold standard digital therapeutics, such as Daylight and Sleepio, can help significantly to address their mental health needs, which in turn could have a real impact on quality of life. Clinically evidenced digital therapeutics can help to address the current backlog in mental health care, opening up greater access to effective round-the-clock care and reducing the pressures on face-to-face services, while providing proven tools for people to manage their mental health outside of a clinical setting, where and when they need to.”
In March 2022, HTN welcomed Heather Cook, and Dr Masood Nazir, a GP in Birmingham and the Director of Primary Care for the NHS Transformation Directorate, for a live session as part of HTN Now. The session focused on digital treatment for mental health needs, you can watch it back here.
