Hello Finch has been a huge supporter of ShinyMind and we’re delighted to share their latest blog below.
Over the last few years there has been a plethora of mental health and wellness apps, big investment from PE and unicorns created.
A recent The Guardian article highlighted the pitfalls of many of these apps – in short doing more harm than good.
ShinyMind took a completely different approach towards building and developing their app, deciding to work with the NHS and The Walton Centre NHS Foundation Trust and Charity to ensure at every stage their app was tested rigorously, including being data and insight backed.
In a world which is looking for immediacy, ShinyMind is a business determined to focus on the ethos of Center for Humane Technology and build an App with the “human” in mind versus a set of algorithms designed simply to grab attention to create “users”.
This is refreshingly ethical… but it’s come at a cost – they’re not at this stage as well known as other mental health and wellness apps out there.
The NHS has now moved ShinyMind to a Patient Prescription, meaning Doctors can prescribe it to their patients. This is a game changer for people in society who need help. The evidence is indisputable – ShinyMind works. Increasingly NHS Trusts around the country are starting to adopt and prescribe to patients in their care.
ShinyMind is now ready to roll out to companies as an employee benefit – its price point is incredibly cost effective, and significantly lower than its competitors. Their ethos has always been Shiny Minds vs shiny cash – it may have taken them longer to get to the start gate, but they’ve done it in an ethical, humane and genuinely caring way for the people they want to help live a better, healthier and more shiny life.
Please take a read of their short blog and The Guardian article – the difference in approach is to be celebrated, after all in a digital world in which tech is often in a race to the bottom of the brain cell, it’s wonderful to see a brand the wants to lift understanding of mental health and wellness not just dumb it down.
Surely we all deserve a shiny mind?
ShinyMind | Empowering Shiny Minds…
Written by: ShinyMind
A recent article by The Guardian examined the heightened scrutiny surrounding mental health apps, noting people’s negative experiences like increased anxiety and ineffective support and critics citing a lack of regulation, reliance on generic advice, and privacy concerns.
Here at ShinyMind, we recognise the immense responsibility that comes with providing mental health support through technology. Co-created with NHS staff and clinicians who are dedicated to patient care and confidentiality, our app is built on a foundation of trust and empathy.
But this increased scrutiny highlights the urgent need for stricter evaluation and regulation to ensure people receive genuine, safe support. We wholeheartedly agree that people deserve safe and effective tools for managing their mental well-being. That’s why we are committed to measuring the impact of ShinyMind, ensuring that our platform genuinely helps those in need, without causing harm.
Our mission extends beyond simply providing a mental health app. We aim to support the NHS in widening access to mental health care while also prioritising the well-being of the healthcare professionals who deliver that care. ShinyMind is currently being prescribed as an NHS wellbeing prescription across NHS Bedfordshire, Luton and Milton Keynes ICB and their NHS Talking Therapies.
Through our award-winning ‘Shine’ wellbeing prescription programme, primary care teams are becoming pioneers of patient place-based care and are leveraging their power as care givers to send supportive relational messages to connect with and support their patient.
8-week before and after impact data
- 86% of ShinyMinders feel better
- 24% feel a lot better
- 17% improvement in GAD anxiety scores
- 36% reduction in number of with moderate to severe depression – almost 1 in 3
- 26.4% less worried and fewer days worrying
Unlike some other apps, we are not driven by AI algorithms. Instead, ShinyMind is powered by humane tech, with genuine human curiosity and compassion.
We measure our success not by profits, but by the positive impact we have on the lives of those who use our app. With ShinyMind, people can trust that their well-being is our top priority, and their data will always be treated with the utmost confidentiality.
In a world where mental health support is more important than ever, ShinyMind is proud to be leading the way in providing compassionate and effective care through technology.
Want access to ShinyMind for your organisation? Get in touch with us at hello@shinymind.co.uk.