We are delighted to announce that from an unprecedented number of applications nationally, Simple Shared Healthcare Ltd. has been selected by the UK’s innovation agency, Innovate UK to refocus their internationally recognised work with healthcare psychology to support the mental health of staff in the workplace, to improve well-being and protect productivity and thereby make a significant contribution to UK’s business recovery during and following the current COVID-19 outbreak.
Based in Stoke-on-Trent, Simple Shared Healthcare has a mature legacy in partnering with healthcare organisations to provide education, coaching and support for patients to achieve better and faster clinical outcomes than can be achieved under normal care. Simple Shared Healthcare works with intellectual property owned by NHS Stoke-on-Trent and develops innovative services deployed as friendly personas including ‘Florence’ (UK & Ireland), ‘Annie’ (USA) and ‘Nellie’ (Australia) to engage directly with patients.
“We are immensely grateful for the foresight of Innovate UK to recognise the opportunity to leverage Simple Shared Healthcare’s mature, independent evidence base that has consistently delivered internationally-recognised economic and behavioural change in healthcare to assist businesses to cost-effectively manage and mitigate the impact of COVID-19 on staff whilst reducing the associated economic costs of lost productivity for years to come. This opportunity allows the development of a unique product that will provide a substantial catalyst to any business’s post COVID-19 recovery; and most importantly the quality of life and wellbeing of staff through and beyond this challenging time. ”
For over 10 years and founded upon business psychology, “Florence” is a digital platform used by NHS Hospitals, General Practice, Mental Health and Community teams that has been formally evaluated across hundreds of clinical conditions harnessing targeted behavioural psychology-based Smart Messaging to engage patients, change their behaviour and help them attain better and faster clinical outcomes in hundreds of clinical conditions.
Building on the capabilities of Florence, an international collaboration including ethical development company Bitjam Ltd inspired the development of our Next-Generation smart messaging system “Clara”(UK/USA) / “Nellie”(Australia). The technologies haveproven to be massively scalable and flexible and incorporates both workflow and messaging improvements learned from 10 years with Florence.
Partnering with workplace mental health and wellbeing charity Mates in Mind, this project will re-purpose Clara for use by businesses, assisting them to effectively manage the many challenges to staff wellbeing, mental health during self-isolation and sickness/absence, generated by the first and subsequent waves of the COVID-19 pandemic.
This will be achieved through evidence based smart interactive messaging to motivate staff, reduce anxiety, change thinking and associated behaviour toward forming confident healthy and productive personal and workplace habits and reduce the feelings of loneliness and isolation. Furthermore, the service aims to create a sense of appreciation and wellbeing, whilst reducing the workload of HR departments.
Executive Chair, Innovate UK, Dr Ian Campbell, said:
“Businesses from all over the UK have answered our call rapidly to meet the challenges we face today and in the future through the power of innovation. The ideas we have seen can truly make a significant impact on society, improve the lives of individuals, especially those in vulnerable groups and enable businesses to prosper in challenging circumstances.”
