An NHS employee from the East Midlands who developed ChatHealth – a secure health messaging helpline being used nationwide – has been recognised as one of the top health innovators in the UK.

Jimmy Endicott from Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust has been announced as one of the new intake of ‘Fellows’ for the NHS Innovation Accelerator, a national initiative which helps spread evidence-based innovations across the NHS so they benefit patients faster.

ChatHealth is a safe and secure text messaging service that provides convenient, confidential support and advice for families and young people, developed by the NHS in Leicestershire.

Launched in 2013, it was initially available to pupils in four secondary schools, but - with support from the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network it spread nationwide within just eight months. It is currently available to nearly two million young people (around one out of every three teenagers) across around 40 healthcare teams in the Midlands, London, Home Counties, East of England, South Coast, South West, West Country, North West, Greater Manchester, North East and Yorkshire. Over the last three years, teams that support new parents have also started adopting the technology and practices, now offering more convenient access to support the mums and dads of around 80,000 newborns every year.

ChatHealth supports greater efficiencies in community nursing teams, with individual nurses able to provide for a greater number of service users. It is cost effective and uses technology that millennials are familiar with, providing confidential and timely access to healthcare. People who want health advice do not need to wait to visit a nurse and the service is completely anonymous meaning it reaches out to often seldom heard groups. For example, young males, who are sometimes more uncomfortable talking about sensitive issues face-to-face, are twice more likely to ask for help by sending a message than they are to drop in to a clinic.

Tackling mental health is at the forefront of Health Secretary Matt Hancock’s vision for the NHS and ChatHealth is the type of digital health innovation which can help people reach out for support without any stigma or embarrassment. According to the Mental Health Foundation, mental health problems affect 1 in 10 young people and 70% of those who experience these problems don’t have appropriate interventions at a sufficiently early age. Meanwhile around one in five new mums suffer from maternal mental health problems. Digital innovations in healthcare like ChatHealth aim to offer intervention earlier on a more accessible level, widening the reach.

This week, ChatHealth project lead Jimmy Endicott has received national recognition as he was announced as an NHS Innovation Accelerator Fellow – one of 13 new Fellows for 2019. The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA), is an award-winning national accelerator supporting committed individuals (‘Fellows’) to scale high impact, evidence-based innovations across the NHS and wider healthcare system. Delivered in partnership with NHS England and England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks (AHSNs). In its first three years, the NIA has supported 36 Fellows to deliver uptake of 37 innovations in 1,704 additional NHS sites; with over £79m raised in external funding, 287 jobs created, 574 awards won, and 21 innovations selling internationally. The fellowship will support ChatHealth to achieve greater spread across the NHS in England and reach more young people.

He said: “I’m very excited to be appointed as a Fellow – the NHS Innovation Accelerator looks for high impact innovations in healthcare and this demonstrates how these kinds of solutions often originate out in the regions at the grass roots of NHS teams.”

“I’ve been lucky to work with some very inspired and creative public health nurses and we’ve evidenced an effective new way of being able to help people. Working with the NIA I’ll be hopeful that we can continue to support more vulnerable young people and families, particularly those who are struggling with their emotional and mental health.”

Mike Hannay, Managing Director of the East Midlands AHSN, said: “EMAHSN is very proud to have supported the development of ChatHealth which is having such a major impact on the health and wellbeing of people across the UK. The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) plays a vital role in creating the conditions and cultural change necessary for evidence-based innovations to be taken up faster and more systematically through the NHS. Jimmy Endicott being named as an NIA Fellow for ChatHealth highlights the exceptional level of digital innovation in healthcare in the East Midlands”.

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Notes to editors

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About Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust

Leicestershire Partnership NHS Trust (LPT) provides community health, mental health and learning disabilities services for the one million people living in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland. It has a budget in excess of £275 million and employ approximately 5,500 staff. For more information visit: www.leicspart.nhs.uk

About the East Midlands Academic Health Science Network (EMAHSN)

EMAHSN is one of 15 Academic Health Science Networks in England – together they operate as the innovation arm of the NHS. EMAHSN brings together NHS organisations, universities, industry and social care to transform the health of the region’s 4.6m residents and stimulate wealth.

The organisation is developing and spreading more than 20 innovation projects focusing on major health challenges including cancer, diabetes, mental health, atrial fibrillation and liver disease. To see how these projects map against the priorities of the NHS Long Term plan visit: http://healthinnovation-em.org.uk/images/NHS_LTP_Support_for_East_Midlands_implementation.pdf

In 2018, NHS England relicensed the 15 AHSNs for a further five years from 1 April as the key innovation arm of the NHS.

About NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA)

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) is an NHS England initiative delivered in partnership with England’s 15 Academic Health Science Networks. It aims to support delivery of the Five Year Forward View - creating the conditions and cultural change necessary for proven innovations to be taken up faster and more systematically through the NHS for patient, population and staff benefit.

The NHS Innovation Accelerator (NIA) was launched in July 2015, and has supported 36 Fellows representing 37 innovations to date. 1,704 additional NHS sites are now using NIA innovations, £79.3M external funding has been raised, 287 jobs created, 74 awards won, and 21 NIA innovations are selling internationally.

For more information visit www.nhsaccelerator.com