NHS National Services Scotland has agreed on a £13.7 million contract for the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) software in mental health treatment.
The organisation – otherwise known as the Common Services Agency – has set up the arrangement on behalf of the Scottish Government with mental health specialist Big Health, with the aim of supporting patients with generalised anxiety disorder and insomnia.
According to the contract award notice both lots have a value of £6.84 million.
Big Health has specialist products for the two disorders, Daylight for generalised anxiety and Sleepio for insomnia.
There has been a growing appreciation of the potential of CBT software in mental health treatments over recent years. Earlier this year, England’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) began a consultation on draft guidance on digitally enabled therapies to treat depression and anxiety disorders, and gave its approval to four digital technologies to support children’s mental health.
