Shortening Mental Health Treatment Waiting Times Could Save NHS Millions and Improve Patient Outcomes

What You Need to Know: 

• Shortening treatment and waiting times for mental health conditions from 12 months to three could lead to financial savings for the NHS and improve treatment outcomes.
• The study, conducted by ieso Digital Health Ltd in partnership with Dorset HealthCare University NHS Trust and York Health Economics Consortium, analyzed anonymized data from 27,540 people with depression and anxiety.
• The analysis predicts an average annual saving of around £600 million for individuals with all levels of anxiety and depression severities.
• Real-world healthcare data was used to compare the cost-effectiveness of different interventions, revealing the main contributors to healthcare costs in relation to waiting and treatment times and treatment effectiveness.
• IESO is focusing on creating scalable digital solutions for mental health care, combining human care and computer-delivered therapy.
• The NHS is making various efforts, such as introducing Censeo, a digital mental health assessment tool by Devon Partnership NHS Trust, to help residents with mental health issues.

To read more, click here.