Digital solution provides accessible mental health support
Posted: 12th May 2025
Anxiety disorder can be a debilitating condition for those who experience it. Data indicate that 40% of adults suffer from moderate to high levels of anxiety, while 20% of adults who visit their GPs annually for non-mental health issues often have episodes of anxiety disorder.
We are collaborating with Big Health to further test their app, Daylight, in South Yorkshire which helps patients over the age of 18 manage anxiety. Daylight is a digital therapeutic tool offering a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) structured programme through a dedicated app, enabling patients to access immediate support for managing worry and anxiety.
Juvaria Hassan, Project Manager at Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, said: “New health digital technologies can really make a difference to the lives of patients. We are thrilled to be involved in this initiative and to actively help engage patients using Daylight.
Patient experience is fundamental to designing services that deliver effective care. Insights gathered from patients with lived experience of using an innovation are invaluable. They provide a better understanding of how the technology affects patients, the challenges they encounter, and the obstacles they face in accessing the care they need”.
The app empowers patients to take control of their recovery, employing science-based techniques to help them better understand their anxiety and develop new coping strategies in their daily life. Daylight provides clinicians with an alternative treatment for anxiety to traditional medicines, reducing the need for longer-term prescriptions of anxiolytic medications.
Since Daylight launched in South Yorkshire last September, 1,436 people have signed up with 884 enrolling and beginning first line treatment as an alternative to medication. These figures highlight the potential for digital solutions to engage patients effectively, provide accessible mental health support and reduce reliance on medication. This innovation showcases the power of digital technologies in shifting towards preventative care, offering early intervention, empowering people to manage anxiety, and reducing pressure on hospital services.
Ian Wood, UK Medical Director at Big Health, said: “Our partnership with Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber through Primary Care Sheffield has been instrumental in helping over 800 patients access evidence-based treatment through Daylight. The early success of this project reflects not just the demand for accessible mental health treatments, but the power of collaboration in driving meaningful change. Together, we’re making a real difference in how anxiety is managed across the region, and we’re excited to see the continued and wider impact as the project grows.”
We have been working in partnership with Big Health, South Yorkshire Integrated Care Board, Primary Care Sheffield and the York Health Economics Consortium (YHEC) to deliver a real-world health economics evaluation of the solution. The evaluation will help demonstrate the impact of implementing Daylight at scale, including its effects on improving patient care outcomes and reducing reliance on medication.
We will also work closely with our colleagues at the South Yorkshire Innovation Hub, a partnership between South Yorkshire Integrated Care System and Health Innovation Yorkshire & Humber, ensuring that we engage with the right stakeholders across the system.
For further information about this initiative please email info@healthinnovationyh.com