A new self-reporting wellbeing device will provide mental health support to healthcare professionals in Lincolnshire, with pilot trials starting soon.

The eight-week trial involves 80 employees at Riverside Surgery in Brigg using Moodbeam’s self-reporting wellbeing tool to assess how their mood, feelings and behaviours change daily.

This is the second practice to undertake trials of the device via Moodbeam’s partnership with Agencia’s healthcare business support service Primary Care Direct.

Two buttons on the Moodbeam One device are used to record when the user’s day is going well, or not so well. The information is tracked within Moodbeam’s companion app and provides visualisations of mood information, which is stored in the cloud.

Comparisons and changes are visualised in real-time across different groups, allowing managers to step in and identify the most appropriate additional support for employees or teams. 

Christina Colmer McHugh, co-founder and director of Hull-based Moodbeam, said: “The NHS is battling a mental health crisis among staff fighting against the second wave of coronavirus.

“At Moodbeam, our aim is to empower employees from all walks of life to have a voice within their workplace and ensure that they have the opportunity to gain access to professional help before reaching crisis point in relation to their mental health.

“Unsurprisingly, the ever-changing restrictions and exacerbated pressures of higher hospital admissions and an increased demand on local services has meant that GPs and healthcare professionals are, understandably, feeling the strain. We’re incredibly pleased to be working with Riverside Surgery and hope that their members of staff benefit from our technology.”

Originally released in a wristband format, a new clip version of the device for use within healthcare settings and other environments has been developed. 

The Riverside Surgery trials of the Moodbeam One follows the announcement of similar trials at Amicus Health GP practice in Devon, which began in October. 

 Kiran Johnson, co-founder of Primary Care Direct, said: “The NHS People’s Plan places an emphasis on staff wellbeing and the most important thing we do in our business is support the wellbeing of general practice teams.

“It is fantastic to see that Riverside Surgery are focussing on their own staff’s mental wellness through this pilot trial with Moodbeam.”