Boots has launched a range of on-demand mental health services, including talking therapies, a support room, text talk, mood & symptom checkers and an information hub.
The ‘help, advice and support’ tools can now be found on its website to meet, Boots says, ‘a rise in patients asking for mental health advice and support in its pharmacies’.
Over recent years the company has added online physio services and online doctor services to its offering, with new services launched recently including an ‘Online Doctor Depression & Anxiety Treatment’ – a GP consultation followed by a tailored treatment and support plan and, if appropriate, prescription medicine.
In a recent survey commissioned by Boots, it suggests “four in five (82%) respondents would consider using digital services for mental health”.
As part of its mental health services on demand, the offering includes:
- SupportRoom – which matches a therapist offering psychological and emotional support via ‘text talk’ and video check ins and offers holistic health insights and self-help tools
- Livi Talking Therapies – Cognitive Behaviour Therapy (CBT) via video call
- How Are Things? Mood & Symptom Checker – which offers a short, confidential mental health report reviewed by a mental health professional
- An information hub of articles with information and advice about mental health
Marc Donovan, Chief Pharmacist at Boots, commented: “Since the start of the pandemic, our pharmacists noticed an increase in requests from patients for mental health services. In response, we’re making dedicated online mental health services available to our patients, providing accessible support and helping relieve pressure on the mental health services already available through the NHS.
“The services you can now find at Boots offer a range of treatment options including talking therapy and access to prescription medicine for those who need it. When it comes to mental health, it’s important that patients can access the treatments that suit them. Mental health issues like depression and anxiety affect people differently and there is not a one-size-fits-all approach.”
