Since 2020, Qwell has been helping improve mental health support and increase access to care in Cambridgeshire, Peterborough, and South Lincolnshire (CPSL) providing over 12,000 one-to-one sessions through our dedicated practitioner team.
Partnering with CPSL Mind, we’ve become a vital resource for many, offering accessible and personalised support.
We recognise that mental health challenges such as anxiety, stress, and suicidal thoughts are significant concerns in our communities, with 65% of women and girls in the region struggling with anxiety and stress alone. At Qwell, we address these issues with compassion and professionalism, offering timely and effective mental health care.
How we work together
Working with CPSL Mind, we integrated Qwell’s digital support into its Good Life Service offer. Collaborating with the local network and generating a strong social media presence, we’ve effectively promoted our service and reached those who need the service most, increasingly those in seldom heard and more rural communities.
Using data to target our outreach, we launched specific campaigns, which may, for example, encourage men to seek support.
Emily Gray, Deputy CEO from CPSL Mind praised our adaptability and collaboration, “Kooth’s experience, coupled with their collaborative and knowledgeable approach, has allowed us to deliver a high-quality digital service in line with our values, and we are already receiving excellent feedback from people using the service.”
One of our Qwell users said: “I find it useful. Sometimes you feel nervous talking to someone face to face. Sometimes I can express myself better in writing than talking with someone.”
Our impact
Alongside CPSL Mind, Qwell has made a significant impact, often by becoming the first point of contact for those in need. In many cases, people will come to Qwell as a first port of call, which means that as well as offering support, we can, when appropriate, guide individuals to specialist support. Our service is available out of hours, a feature highlighted by 67% of our users who rely on accessibility outside traditional 9-5 services.
Since the start of our partnership, Qwell has supported over 5,000 adults, 94% of whom would recommend the service to a friend.
Users in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough accessed Qwell to support a range of emotional and mental health presentations including;
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Anxiety and stress
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Family relationships
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Mental health
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Suicide ideation
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Loneliness
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Problems at work
Qwell offers various types of support, including self-help tools like articles and a journalling feature for recording thoughts and emotions. Service users can also message our team, ask questions, or book one-to-one chat sessions with our experienced practitioners
Over the past 12 months, users in Cambridgeshire and Peterborough have engaged in:
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Almost 900 1:1 text-based chat counselling sessions with practitioners
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Over 6,800 therapeutic messages outside of the chat sessions
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Our online journal, with over 2,300 entries made
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More than 3,000 hours of therapeutic support
Users of Qwell also reported significant benefits from accessing the service, with 83% of users setting goals seeing significant improvement.
Providing accessible support means Qwell can support and work as part of an integrated care pathway in the wider healthcare system.
Reaching more people, making a bigger impact
A recent increase in funding has meant significant growth in terms of those accessing Qwell, enabling us to reach more individuals, particularly in deprived areas.
Of the 866,200 people we work with, 112,000 live in the 20% most deprived areas nationally. Our increased engagement in these communities has driven greater access to mental health services where they are most needed.
Since the contract started, 5,000 adults have registered on Qwell. The impact of our service is further underscored by the feedback from those we support—94% would recommend our service to a friend.
Engagement and outreach
Our Engagement leads have been instrumental in letting local people know mental health support is available, engaging with nearly 10,000 professionals from diverse communities.
We’ve delivered staff awareness sessions to 115 healthcare professionals from North West Anglia Foundation Trust and conducted training for 94 staff at various practices, including Peterborough and East PCN and Thomas Walker Westgate Surgery. Additionally, we trained 27 staff members at NHS Talking Therapies Cambridge South.
This extensive engagement has helped us extend our reach and connect with more individuals who can benefit from our support.
The top five presenting issues—anxiety and stress, relationship problems, mental health concerns, suicidal thoughts, and self-worth issues—underscore the importance of our services in addressing the region's mental health needs.
User satisfaction and overcoming challenges
Qwell is making a real difference, with testimonials highlighting the strong connections users form and how the service has positively impacted their lives:
"I am happy with my progress, I cannot thank you enough for all the time you have given me. I have gone 7 months before without seeing my mates. Since working with you it has helped me so much. I will be seeing them twice within a week."
Additionally, about a third of professionals believe that Qwell could play a big role in easing the demand for A&E services in their area, highlighting the importance of our service in reducing pressure on the broader healthcare system.
Looking forward
Looking ahead, we aim to ensure everyone in need can access quality mental health care.
The CPSL Mind and Qwell partnership shows how working together can transform mental health support, relieve pressure on downstream services and make a real difference in people's lives.