Resource impact summary report

Resource impact summary report

Recommendations

Two digital front door technologies can be used in the NHS during the evidence generation period as options to gather service user information for NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression assessments in people 16 years and over.

The technologies are:

  • Limbic Access

  • Wysa Digital Referral Assistant.

These technologies can only be used:

Eligible population for digital front door technologies

The recorded number of people referred to access NHS Talking Therapy services in 2023 to 2024 was 1.26 million (NHS Digital). Of this group, 672,000 people referred completed a course of treatment.

Treatment options for the eligible population

The comparator is the process of referring people for NHS Talking Therapies without using digital front door technology.

Financial resource impact

Implementation of digital front door technologies will incur additional costs to the NHS, which will vary depending on volume, with prices per referral decreasing as the number of referrals increase. For Limbic Access, costs range from £6.59 to £4.20 (including VAT) for each referral. For Wysa DRA, costs range from £3.90 to £1.39 (including VAT) for each referral. Wysa DRA also has a one-time implementation and setup cost for each service of £10,180 (including VAT) in the first year. There may also be additional implementation and set-up costs associated with both technologies relating to training, promotion and digital safety assurance.

Benefits

Digital Front Door technologies may:

  • save time on collecting routine information and reduce administrative burden

  • improve clinical decision making in clinical assessments for NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression

  • allow more time to discuss presenting problems and objectives in more detail with the healthcare professional during the assessment, which may result in a higher-quality clinical assessment, leading to identifying the correct treatment pathway more accurately

  • improve access to NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression, and help more people get the support they need in a timely manner.

Key information

Table 1 Key information

Commissioners

Integrated Care Boards

Providers

NHS Talking Therapies/Mental Health Services

About this resource impact summary report

This resource impact summary report accompanies the NICE early value assessment guidance on Digital front door technologies to gather information for assessments for NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression and should be read with it.

ISBN: 978-1-4731-7128-2

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