Wessex AHSN co-hosted an Innovation Forum, showcasing digital innovations in mental health with West Hampshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) on the morning of Thursday 14th March, 2019.
The NHS Long Term Plan places significant emphasis on the need to develop access to digitally-enabled care. This timely event provided an opportunity to hear about the latest developments, meet the innovators, experiment with the technology and discuss with colleagues how digital developments may help support with mental health pathways.
Nine mental health innovations were shortlisted to present at the event, which was attended by 80 local stakeholders. The audience were divided into multi-disciplinary teams for round table discussions assessing the tech’s suitability for implementation in local services.
The event received really positive feedback: 89% of respondents to the days evaluation form rated the day as ‘very good’ or ‘excellent’. The feedback on the tech has been shared locally to shape mental health digital strategies across Wessex.
It is important to emphasise that this event was not a procurement exercise but an exploratory one. Multiple suppliers were contacted to attend with the view to showcasing as many types of digital technologies as possible.