The company writes:
As the UK’s leading provider of internet-enabled mental health services, we specialise in primary diagnosis, support and advice, and as we continue to lead in these services we want a name that reflects our mission.
Already Ieso Digital Health is commissioned in 20 NHS CCGs, and partner Trusts, treating over 500 patients every month in the UK using a secure, written conversation-style service, where patients can interact with BABCP-qualified therapists in real time.
The Ieso interactive therapy service provides a comfortable environment for patients dealing with common mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
It allows patients to access Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) at any time from their computer, tablet or smartphone – with no waiting lists and, in some areas of the UK, without having to visit a GP practice or mental health clinic.
Ieso Digital Health is named after the Ancient Greek goddess of healing and recuperation from illness – appropriate for a company whose data shows patients need 50% fewer treatments to recover when compared with face-to-face therapy.
Ieso Digital Health’s Chief Executive, Barnaby Perks, said: “One in four of us will suffer a mental illness at some point in our lives, but many of us never seek treatment, let alone receive it. Online, interactive therapy represents a tremendous opportunity to meet the vast unmet need for psychological treatment.
“You can talk to your therapist at a time and place of your choice, and, using written one-to-one communication, can get straight to the heart of your difficulties. This allows people to open up much more readily than if they were having to meet face-to-face, which can be intimidating and off-putting for many. Ieso Digital Health can provide more widespread access to effective therapy than current available methods.
“Much has changed in the health industry since PsychologyOnline.co.uk Limited was established back in 2000. Ieso Digital Health is a name that reflects our core values and represents the ambitions of the business. We are entering an exciting new phase of growth and taking significant steps to offer more widespread access to evidence-based mental health therapy, and deliver improved patient outcomes.”
Notes
- Ieso Digital Health was formerly known as PsychologyOnline.
- CBT is approved by NICE for treatment of depression and anxiety. Ieso Digital Health data show patients need 50% fewer sessions to recover when compared with traditional face-to-face methods. (This is based on an analysis of 369 patients who finished a course of treatment, having ended after a minimum of two treatments appointments before October 2014.)
- A 2009 random controlled trial published in The Lancet found that when compared to the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) 38% of those given online CBT entered recovery compared to 24% of those given standard care. Recovery was sustained after six months in 42% of the group that received online CBT, compared to 24% in the group that received standard care.
- The shortage of talking therapies has been highlighted by the mental health charity Mind as part of its ‘We Need to Talk’ campaign [http://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/campaigns/access-to-talking-therapies/]. Its 2014 survey found that half of those referred for talking therapies had to wait three months for an assessment, and one in 10 had to wait a year. Two thirds became more unwell during this time and one in six tried to take their own life.
- In 2013 Ieso Digital Health had one contract and 40 referrals a month. Today it has 20 contracts with NHS Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across England, receiving more than 500 referrals each month, and rising.
- In areas where Ieso has been commissioned by the NHS, patients can be referred by their GP, or self-refer online. Once referred, they talk in real time to a qualified therapist using secure written conversation.
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