Work-related digital innovations for individuals with poor mental health

The competition is open to single organisations (contracts are executed with individual legal entities) based in the UK or EU from the private, public and third sectors, including companies (large corporates and small and medium enterprises), charities, universities, and NHS providers, given a strong commercial strategy is provided and clear benefit to the NHS is demonstrated. Collaborations are encouraged in the form of subcontracted services as appropriate.

This SBRI Healthcare competition is being launched by the Accelerated Access Collaborative (AAC) in partnership with NHS England’s Digital Innovation Team and the Health Innovation Network to identify innovative new products and services. The projects will be selected primarily on their potential value to the health service and social care system and on the improved outcomes delivered for those in receipt of care.

The competition is open to innovations at any stage of development from testing the technical and commercial feasibility to generating evidence in real world settings.

The contracts awarded will be for a maximum of 12 months and £200,000 (NET cost, excluding VAT) per project. Developments will be 100% funded and suppliers for each project will be selected by an open competition process and retain the intellectual property rights (IPR) generated from the project, with certain rights of use retained by the NHS.

There are a number of technologies or types of solutions which are already available or will not make a significant impact on the challenges addressed in this brief. These are listed below.

• Non digital solutions
• Physical health innovations
• Wellness or wellbeing digital applications on healthy diet and/or physical exercising
• Innovations targeting comorbidities
• Innovations not specific for working-age young people, adults and older adults with mental health problems to support individuals return to or remain at work or gain employment (including general mental health innovation that are not specific to workrelated issues/ barriers)
• Technologies for use by those under 16 years of age
• General symptom monitoring tools
• Mood diary or self-help, organiser apps, Employee Assistance Programmes (EAP), Mental Health First Aid
• General mental health improvement technologies used within NHS Talking Therapies services (e.g. Digitally Enabled Therapies which are tools which deliver a substantial portion of the intervention online and are delivered with the support of a clinician)
• Any technologies that negatively impact staff workloads and that require high upfront capital investment by clinical services
• Solutions that will not easily integrate with NHS/community setting systems.
• Technologies that will exacerbate health inequalities (including digital exclusion or data inequalities) and inequity of access to care
• Technologies that do not comply with GDPR policies.
• Innovations that are not co-designed with end users (i.e., developed without their direct input)
• Digital tools not underpinned by evidence-based behaviour change models (e.g.COM-B model)

For full details of this theme, see the competition briefing document.

We are keen to hear from innovators that have developed new and better ways to effectively address workplace-based issues, to help more individuals with mental health problems, succeed in the workforce. Digital innovators are expected to propose convincing solutions that target work-related issues that minimise the risk of individuals with poor mental health leaving the workforce. We are keen to find solutions that maximise the opportunities to create enabling, non-toxic environments, with positive work culture for the working age population to access support in a timely manner. Interventions could be designed to support individuals or deliver tailored support on a peer-to-peer or group level, ensuring employers can work together effectively with an individual (e.g. manager, team, wider support network).

Potential solutions and strategies include (but are not limited to):

• Accessible and transformative digital interventions for the working age population in employment with a mental health condition, with a strong focus on addressing work-related stressors/ anxieties
• Accessible and transformative digital interventions for the working age population in employment with a mental health condition, with a strong focus on enhancing protective factors (e.g. development of skills, capabilities, knowledge, confidence, and resilience in addressing work-related issues through support self-management)
• Tailored support for employers (e.g. organisations and managers) addressing work related-risk factors of the working age population with mental health conditions, to ensure their employees can access support equally and in a timely manner

For full details of this theme, see the competition briefing document.

We are keen to hear from innovators that have developed new and better ways to tackle barriers to work facing individuals with poor mental health that are unemployed, to support them gain or return to employment and reach their potential within the workplace. This should include those out of work for long periods and where a career change is needed to better fit the individual’s circumstances

Potential solutions and strategies include (but are not limited to) accessible and transformative digital interventions targeting barriers to work facing working age adults out of work with a mental health condition, with a strong focus on minimising risk factors or enhancing protective factors (e.g. development of skills and capabilities).

For full details of this theme, see the competition briefing document.

The worsening work-related mental health outcomes of individuals from ethnic minority background, low-income backgrounds or areas of social deprivation, and the avoidable and unfair systematic differences in health outcomes between these different groups, make it a priority for NHS England to explore ways in which technology targeted at addressing the challenges facing these communities could support a more equitable access to care and reduce health inequalities at both national and system level.

Potential solutions and strategies include (but are not limited to) accessible and transformative digital interventions that drive health and work outcomes (e.g. sustain employment, mental health stability at work, job satisfaction) specifically for disadvantaged communities: ethnic minorities, low income, and/or those with low digital and health literacy.

A Briefing Webinar will be held on Tuesday 8 October 9.30-11.30am. Register here.

The competition opens on Wednesday 9 October 2024.

A Q&A Webinar  will be held on Tuesday 29 October 2024 at 09:30am – details to follow.

Applications close 13 November 2024 1pm. Projects are expected to start in February 2025.

If you would like further support, please contact Innovate UK Business Connect’s Health or Digital teams for advice.