ChatHealth, a safe and secure messaging service which allows users to have conversations with health professionals via their mobile devices, has achieved 100% coverage across public health teams serving young people in the East Midlands.

The service provides quick and confidential advice on issues from bullying and stress to sexual health. Health teams adopting ChatHealth find it significantly increases the number of young people they can reach. Texting also engages teenagers less comfortable speaking face-to-face about what they feel are embarrassing or sensitive issues, especially young males. 

ChatHealth has been an extremely useful service for young people during the COVID-19 pandemic. Between February and April, 2020 incoming messages to ChatHealth have increased by 50% and contact types have increased for mental health support – with service users expressing worries or concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Feedback from a service user was that that the service “has been extremely helpful and has put me at ease”.

100% coverage for young people across East Midlands has been achieved due to a recent uptake of the service by Nottingham City Care Partnership, Derbyshire Community Health Services NHS Trusts, and Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Trust. The service now has the potential to reach every young person in the East Midlands. In 2019-20, 170,000 messages were received from service users and with full coverage all young people in the East Midlands will now have the opportunity to reach out to health professionals when they need it.

Developed by Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust and launched in 2013, it was initially available to pupils in four secondary schools, but with support from the East Midlands AHSN it spread nationwide and is currently available to nearly 2 million young people (around one out of every three teenagers) across around 70 healthcare teams in the UK.

Nicole McGlennon, Managing Director of East Midlands AHSN said “I’m delighted that ChatHealth has achieved 100% coverage across our region. We recognised the impact ChatHealth could have for young people and for nursing teams when we heard about the innovation in its early stages, so it is wonderful to see the impact it has had to date. I take great pride in the fact that this East Midlands’ innovation is now helping young people in every region across the country.”

Teams that support new parents are also using the technology and practices, now offering more convenient access to support the parents of around 80,000 new-borns every year. Many teams are also opening up the messaging helpline to parents of children aged up to 19 year olds, making it available to support over 1 million babies, children and young people.

ChatHealth received national recognition when it was selected to be part of the NHS Innovation Accelerator – an NHS initiative which provides a platform for the top healthcare innovators and ideas in the UK. Nationally 48% of public health teams offer ChatHealth to young people and 21% of public health teams offer ChatHealth to parents and carers. With support from the NIA and the AHSNs, ChatHealth are looking to make the service available to even more young people, parents and carers across the country.

You can find out more about ChatHealth here.