NHS Tackles Mental Health Crisis with Wysa's AI

Wysa improves mental health symptoms while patients wait

Wysa, the global leader in AI-driven mental health support announces the success of AI in the NHS Talking Therapy pathway. Implementation across 31 NHS Talking Therapy services has resulted in faster self-referrals, with patients managing to reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety using Wysa’s AI-guided support, while they wait for traditional therapy.

NHS mental health services are treating an extra one million people annually versus six years ago, with over one million stuck on waiting lists. Yet 31 NHS Talking Therapy providers have taken a bold leap towards modernisation by teaming up with AI-driven mental health platform Wysa, delivering results that are set to reshape how mental health care is delivered. In line with Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s vision for a "big shift from analogue to digital," Talking Therapy services that have implemented Wysa have rapidly boosted patient outcomes.

Getting people in need into the system

By streamlining self-referrals, Wysa’s Digital Referral Assistant can save NHS clinicians an average of 21 minutes per assessment, time that can now be spent delivering care. What’s more, 91% of patients who start a self-referral now complete it – a 25% increase on previous figures. The result has been fewer missed appointments, faster care, and more people getting the help they need when they need it.

Over 117,000 patients have utilised Wysa Digital Referral Assistant since 2022, streamlining self-referral processes across 31 NHS talking therapies services. And, in a breakthrough for urgent care, 1.9% of patients were correctly identified by AI or screening scores as “at risk” and directed to crisis helplines. For younger patients, Wysa has also successfully referred more than 500 under-18s to local CAMHS services, ensuring they get the right care at the right time.

Improving clinical outcomes – even before seeing a clinician

The struggle to reduce waiting times is one of the NHS’s most pressing challenges, with many patients left to struggle alone for months on end before receiving any care. Over 36,000 of these patients are now using Wysa to manage their mental health while they wait for treatment and between treatment sessions.

The Wysa app, which provides AI-driven conversational care and engaging self-help tools, has proven highly effective. 89% of users say the app helps them feel better while they wait for more formal treatment, with over 1 in 3 (36%) seeing reliable change in anxiety symptoms and over 1 in 4 (27%) seeing reliable change in depression symptoms. A remarkable 1 in 5 (19%) patients using Wysa while waiting for treatment actually met clinical recovery criteria (reliable improvement of both GAD7 and PHQ9 scores). 

John Tench, Managing Director of Wysa, said, “As the Health Secretary pushes for a tech-driven future to improve patient outcomes, Wysa’s partnership with NHS services is proving that digital innovation can not only streamline access to healthcare but also transform lives. Our tools are revolutionising the way mental health care is delivered in the NHS, helping people feel better faster and making it easier for clinicians to focus on what they do best - providing care. This partnership shows that AI can truly change the game for healthcare.”

Kelly Colbeck, Senior Service Lead, Dorset Steps2Wellbeing, said: "Wysa allows patients to refer to our service easily and they can be offered some additional signposting at an earlier stage. The e-triage form means that patients can spend some time thinking about what they hope to get out of treatment before speaking with a clinician and can share their main difficulties with the assessor. This means that more time can be spent in the assessment exploring what is important to them and considering treatment options. The added bonus is that patients have access to the premium Wysa app, which can help them whilst they are waiting for treatment. We have had positive feedback about the app, with patients particularly liking the daily reminders to spend some time doing the exercises or simply taking some time to focus on their wellbeing.”

Eleanor Cappell, Head of Business and Transformation (Adult Mental Health), Coventry & Warwickshire Partnership Trust, said:  "Wysa has enabled people to have digital access to our local NHS Talking Therapies service. This increases engagement and supports people with a suite of MH Apps to promote positive wellbeing linked to experiences of anxiety and depression. The data that Wysa collects is robust and informative, providing assurance this is an offer that is well used and compliments other routes into Talking Therapies.”