News

BESTIE app proves a hit at Meridian Awards

Posted:

A ground-breaking app that supports young people with their mental health needs has won an innovation award.

The BESTIE app won the MidTECH Award for best NHS Developed Innovation at the Meridian Awards – A Celebration of Innovation, which took place at Park Regis Birmingham.  The awards celebrate the work of inventive individuals, teams and organisations that improve healthcare for patients across the West Midlands.

The BESTIE app – which stands for Balance, Energy, Support, Thrive, Interact, Evolve – was created at Worcestershire Health and Social Care NHS Foundation Trust. Designed by local young people, clinicians and IT experts, the app has been cited nationally as the first of its kind. It aims to revolutionise the way children, young people and parents get access to online help to support emotional resilience and wellbeing.

The BESTIE team was presented with the award and £10,000 prize by Dr Jagvir Purewal, a Senior Associate and Patent Attorney in our Birmingham office. We work with MidTECH to support them on IP matters and Jagvir said they were proud to present an award at the event. He said: “It has been a pleasure working with the team at MidTECH to support and protect the innovations being created within the NHS. MidTECH knows the importance of IP protection and wanted to highlight this at the awards, where there were so many creators and innovators.

“BESTIE is a shining example, and I was delighted to present the team with the Innovation prize as we were very impressed with the passion, teamwork and impact that the project has had. We hope the prize helps to grow the BESTIE app and aid more young people to manage their mental health.”

BESTIE encourages users to engage in social, physical and health-related activities.

One version of BESTIE supports children and young people who are accessing mental health services, providing online resources and tools to support their specific care plans, as well as resources which help them to track their mood, goals and progress. This gives them access to tailored help and guidance whenever they need it. A wider public version is also available to download, which provides more generic advice and support for young people and parents.

Dr Ben Rogers, Trust Lead for Psychological Interventions, said, “Children and young people who use our services have been telling us for years that we need to make better use of technology in healthcare. I feel so privileged to have been part of this incredible project, connecting young people, clinicians and IT. Winning this award means so much to us and demonstrates how powerful it is to keep young people at the heart of what we do. Thank you to MidTECH and the West Midlands Academic Health Science Network for their support in the project and continuing to connect the healthcare community.”

20-year-old Rob Walkley, who helped in the creation of the BESTIE app, said: “The project throughout has been an empowering, enjoyable experience and really shows what can be achieved when a diverse group of people come together with a mutual goal. Being involved in the process and then actually winning the award has been really rewarding, as it shows us that we have been part of creating something that others recognise as innovative and useful.”

The BESTIE app is available on the App Store, Android and web-app. For more information go to www.camhsbestie.co.uk