• The North West London Mental Health Collaborative commissions new digital mental health service by Kooth to cover all boroughs in North West London
  • All young people aged between 11-25 will now have access to free counselling and emotional wellbeing support
  • Kooth has seen an increased demand for digital mental support from children and young people across the UK due to COVID-19 – +42% in the past year 

Kooth, a digital mental health platform, has been commissioned by The North West London Mental Health Collaborative to offer a new mental health service for children and young people aged between 11 and 25. 

Kooth historically operated across six of the boroughs in North West London, however from 1 June 2021 the new Kooth North West London service will ensure a single, consistent service offer for all boroughs in North West London. By extending its commissioning of Kooth, The North West London Collaborative is ensuring that all children and young adults in the area have a safe and confidential way to access timely emotional wellbeing and early intervention mental health support.

The pandemic has had a significant impact on the mental health of children and young adults in the UK, increasing the demand for digital mental health services. The recently published  Kooth Pulse Report 2021 unearthed the effects COVID-19 has posed on society, giving a clearer picture of the issues that will need to be addressed now, and in the years ahead. Key findings from the study, include:

  • Kooth platform usage has increased by 42% amongst children and young people.
  • For our under-18 population who have presented with any issues, Kooth has seen a +39% increase in those presenting with suicidal thoughts and a +27% increase in those presenting with self-harm.
  • In 2020, Kooth handled +51% young people presenting with eating difficulties.
  • +54% increase in suicidal thoughts for 10-13 year olds
  • For Black, Asian and Non-White young people, there was a +83% increase in sleep difficulties, a +71% increase in school/college issues and a +25% increase in feelings of sadness.

Accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP), Kooth offers children and young people access to a full spectrum of digital mental health services. This includes peer-to-peer support for users via pre-moderated discussions and 24/7 access to curated self-help content, including a magazine with wellbeing articles, personal experiences and tips from other young adults and the Kooth team. 

Young people can also drop-in or book live online ‘chats’ with experienced counsellors. The sessions are available 365 days a year, from midday until 10pm on weekdays and from 6pm until 10pm at the weekend and bank holidays.

Access is free of the typical barriers to support: no waiting lists, no thresholds, no cost and complete anonymity. The digital setting also helps to reduce the stigma traditionally associated with accessing mental health services. Kooth is available on desktop, mobile and tablet devices.

Ross Graves, Executive Director of Partnerships and Commercial Development, Central and North West London NHSFT on behalf of NWL Mental Health Collaborative – a coalition of clinicians, health professionals and commissioners working across North West London says: 

“Kooth are a great partner who will make a difference, helping young people find the support they need more speedily. It’s also great to see all NHS organisations working together to provide a single service across the whole North West London; let’s do more!”

Dr Lynne Green, Chief Clinical Officer at Kooth PLC adds: 

“Digital mental health services such as Kooth offer young people quick and easy support for their emotional health without the usual waiting lists. This can reduce the need for specialist intervention services as the problem is treated when it first occurs, and prevents it from escalating further. Kooth offers children and young people flexible, accessible support at a time and place most convenient to them. We look forward to supporting young people in North West London with their mental health and hope they benefit from the services that Kooth provides.”

Ends

About Kooth plc:

Kooth is the UK’s leading digital mental health platform. Our mission is to provide accessible and safe spaces for everyone to achieve better mental health. Our platform is clinically robust and accredited to provide a range of therapeutic support and interventions. All our services are predicated on easy access to make early intervention and prevention a reality.

Our four services are:

  • Kooth: for children and young persons
  • Kooth Student: for university and higher-education students
  • Kooth: for Adults 
  • Kooth Work: for employees

Kooth is a fully safeguarded and pre-moderated community with a library of peer and professional created content, alongside access to experienced online counsellors. There are no thresholds for support and no waiting lists. Currently, Kooth sees over 4,000 logins a day.

For adults,  Kooth operates across distinct locations and serves specific cohorts, including parents, teachers, victims of crime, and those who have suffered from or continue to experience domestic violence. It is also offered as a benefit by a number of corporate organisations delivering anonymous digital mental health support services to employees.

Kooth is the only digital mental health provider to hold a UK-wide accreditation from the British Association of Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP). 

Kooth recently launched the #DontDoItAlone campaign alongside five well known influencers to share the importance of not dealing with mental wellbeing alone. You can view the campaign here.