London, UK, August 2nd 2021:

NHS Kernow Clinical Commissioning Group (NHS Kernow) today announced that it has commissioned Qwell to provide online counselling and emotional support to young people between 18 and 25 years of age. Qwell is delivered by Kooth, the UK’s leading digital mental health platform that is accredited by the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (BACP),

Qwell has been commissioned by NHS Kernow to address an increase in requests for help and to expand access to support in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

In particular, this opportunity to expand the access to help resources will support those who need a more flexible or anonymous, targeted conversations, particularly anyone living in rural areas, carers, care leavers, those not in education, employment or training (NEET), students and young families.

During the pandemic, NHS Kernow asked children and young people to share their experiences of services, and what they have said has been used to provide this early intervention support.

Through the new commission, young adults will have access to free and anonymous mental health and emotional wellbeing support 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Counselling sessions, including one-on-one sessions with fully trained and qualified practitioners run from midday to 10pm on weekdays and from 6pm to 10pm at weekends. Appointments can be booked in advance or accessed as a drop-in instant text-based chats. There is no referral needed from a health professional, no waiting lists and no criteria needed to meet to qualify for support.

As well as counselling, there is the option to read and/or contribute to Qwell’s range of wellbeing resources, including an extensive range of articles, peer-to-peer support via moderated discussion forums and personal tools such as a confidential online journal. The service can be accessed using a computer, smartphone or tablet device.

Dr Lynette Rentoul, NHS Kernow’s clinical lead for children and young people, said: “During the past 18 months, children and young people have faced incredible emotional upheaval and pressure due to the pandemic, and we know from talking to children, young people and their families and carers that there is a need for more mental health support.”

“I am pleased children and young people will be able to access free, round the clock health and wellbeing support from mental health experts when they need it, and without needing to be referred by a GP or someone else involved with their care. Extending the service from 18 to 25 years will provide much needed additional support to young people, who are facing the challenging journey from childhood to adulthood. It will help them to be better prepared and more confident to deal with these challenges and enable them to feel more connected to trusted adults and systems of support”.

Dr Lynne Green, chief clinical officer at Kooth Plc, added: “Digital services like Qwell are designed to provide adults with access to timely and effective mental health care based on their individual preferences and needs. And with so many young adults reporting mental health difficulties related to the pandemic, our service is more important than ever.

The evidence shows that early intervention and treatment can significantly improve a person’s mental health and help prevent problems escalating. Therefore we encourage young adults in Cornwall to contact us for support with any problem they may be struggling with.  No matter the issue or situation, Kooth is here to help.”

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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.