Insomnia affects one in ten adults. Poor sleep has a negative impact on physical and mental health, performance, and safety. Health Innovation Oxford & Thames Valley (HIOTV) led the first large-scale NHS rollout of direct access digital medicine in partnership with Big Health, the company behind Sleepio, an evidence-based digital sleep improvement programme based on cognitive behavioural therapy. Around 28,000 people in our region accessed Sleepio through this initiative which involved establishing partnerships with communities, employers and primary care. It was funded by Innovate UK and supported by the NHS.
- From Oct 2018-March 2021 more than 28,000 people in the Thames Valley completed a Sleepio sleep score test
- More than 13,000 of these started a personalised online Sleepio CBT programme
- These people added almost six hours to their weekly sleep total (up 17%)
- Their use of prescription medication and over-the-counter sleep aids fell by 56%
- They were 21% less likely to be absent from work due to poor sleep
- They had a 70% reduction in anxiety symptoms (72% reduction for depression symptoms).
Independent evaluation by the Office of Health Economics estimated potential savings to the NHS in England over three years of £99 million. The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) subsequently recommended Sleepio as a treatment for insomnia and it was made freely available to NHS staff during the pandemic as part of a package of health and wellbeing support for key workers.
