Tellmi’s first year in Berkshire West has been a huge success with targets exceeded by 60%

In July 2023 the Tellmi Mental Health Service was commissioned by Berkshire West ICB to provide digital peer and counsellor intervention to young people in Reading, Wokingham and West Berkshire aged 11 - 17. Access targets exceeded expectations, young people reported positive outcomes from using Tellmi and stakeholder testimonials have highlighted Tellmi’s impact on youth mental health for the local area.

Key Benefits and Outcomes

  • 1,387 young people aged 11-17 accessed Tellmi, exceeding access targets by 61%.  

  • Young people received support for a wide range of issues including depression, disordered eating and self-harm and Tellmi was the only source of mental health support for 51% of local users. 

  • 201 high-risk young people were supported by Tellmi’s preemptive counselling or had Tellmi Therapy sessions. 

  • 29 schools in Berkshire West benefited from Tellmi’s outreach and engagement programme. 

  • A health economics model shows that Tellmi saved the NHS £89,000. 

Local Need

One in five young people suffer from a mental health issue and regional CAMHS services are struggling to meet demand, with wait times exceeding target times. 

In Berkshire West’s Transformation Plan (2021-2024), there is recognition that an increase in referrals meant wait times were not being met. It identified the need for a greater focus on early intervention and prevention, ensuring problems are managed before they escalate and unnecessary CAMHS referrals are avoided. However, clinical time was devoted to managing high-need young people, meaning there was not enough capacity to provide early help.  

The Transformation Plan also recognised that some young people from groups at risk of health inequalities faced barriers to accessing support, that there was a need for greater partnership working between NHS and VCSE services, and schools needed greater awareness of local support options. 

What Tellmi delivers

West Berkshire ICB commissioned Tellmi to deliver a digital mental health solution for local young people aged 11-17, complemented by a programme of outreach and engagement activities. 

The Tellmi app provided local young people aged 11 - 17 with:

  • easily accessible peer support, 

  • preemptive counselling for high-risk users, 

  • text based Tellmi Therapy using a solution focused approach, and 

  • a Directory of local and national services and resources. 

There is no wait time or assessment threshold to access Tellmi’s services.  

During the first year of the contract Tellmi was accessed by 1,387 young people, 61% more than the target. A significant reason for this was the success of Tellmi’s outreach and engagement, with 76% of schools and colleges in Berkshire West participating in our outreach programme. Local NHS and VCSE services also partnered with Tellmi to create a system of bi-directional signposting with a Berkshire West portal integrated into the app’s Directory. 

What young people in Berkshire West liked about Tellmi 

  • 87% find the Tellmi community very supportive

  • 69% find using Tellmi helps them to understand their mental health and wellbeing better

  • 59% feel less alone

  • 39% feel better about themselves since using Tellmi

Results and benefits 

  • A greater-than-expected number of young people are accessing early mental health support without having to wait, reducing strain on NHS services. 

  • Users include autistic young people and those from groups who would otherwise face barriers to accessing mental health support, who are seeking support for a wide range of issues.

  • High-risk users are receiving immediate and preemptive support, de-escalating them from crisis, and receiving ongoing support through Tellmi’s Solution Focused-based Tellmi Therapy.

  • Partnership working between the ICB, Tellmi and local VCSE services has created a coordinated system of bi-directional signposting, utilising Tellmi’s in-app Directory.

  • Local schools, whose pupils benefited from Tellmi’s peer support workshops, are using Tellmi and our engagement materials to help implement whole-school approaches to mental health support. 

  • A health economics model, devised by the York Health Economic Consortium, shows that Tellmi saved the NHS in Berkshire West £89,000 through a decrease in GP and school counsellor visits. 

Co-Creation

One of the best ways to engage young people is to involve them in co-creation projects and in May we worked with students from Bulmershe School in Reading to make a short film about the physical and mental health benefits of being active for Mental health Awareness Week 2024.