GHP Executive Awards 2017

12 | ghp Executive Awards 2017 Best Mental Health Executive – UK & GHP Excellence Award for Suicide Prevention Initiatives Healios provides high-quality mental health services through a digitally enabled online suite, so that patient and their families, carers, and loved ones can access the support and care they need from the convenience of their connected device. Through the firm’s dedication to providing the most innovative and relevant mental health care it is changing the way patients and their families are viewed and treated, as Richard explains. “Currently we are living in the age of a global mental health crisis. Sadly, mental illness has devastating consequences, where the UN estimates over 800,000 suicides globally, amounting to one suicide occurring every 40 seconds. Our traditional healthcare service model is no longer fit-for-purpose and is failing to address the rapidly growing need and increasing demand. In the UK, we’re seeing the health system struggle to provide basic levels of support, with some families facing year long waiting lists for assessment and treatment. “Here at Healios, we are working to change this every day. We are providing care and support quickly, without wait, to immediately put our clients on a path to success and positive mental health. Through our latest digital technologies, we’re monitoring mental health to help prevent relapse. We are partnering with healthcare systems to provide a collaborative treatment team experience. All the work we do is transforming mental health care so that working together, we can end the global mental health crisis. “Overall, our mission is to change the way mental health care is delivered so that anyone affected by mental illness has the right care and support that they need, when and where they need it. As part of this, it is pertinent that families and loved ones are embedded in the treatment journey, and that we leverage all available digital capabilities to ensure proper care management through all stages – from assessment to relapse prevention. “Achieving this mission requires a transformation of our current mental healthcare system, historically a technological laggard, to encourage digitally enabled treatment models. While this requires timely investment, the significant cost savings, improved quality and patient outcomes clearly warrant the support.” Thanks to the hard work and dedication of firms such as Healios, mental health is becoming less of a stigma and the realities of the issues patients face are being explored properly. Moving forward Richard is keen to see this trend continue as he explores how the market can adapt to ensure mental health patients receive the treatment and support they need. “Ultimately, living a healthy life is not just about physical health, but is also about mental health and overall wellbeing. For too long we have neglected the psychosocial aspect of various diseases and conditions, which is why real treatment success still largely eludes us. When someone is diagnosed with cancer, diabetes, HIV, heart failure, dementia, multiple sclerosis, or asthma, the vast majority develop co-morbid mental illness such as anxiety, depression or adjustment disorder. These co-morbid mental illnesses have a detrimental impact on the outcomes of a patient’s primary condition. It is quickly becoming clear that true holistic management of a patient’s illness is the best way to provide the necessary care to create the outcomes we are all working hard to achieve. “Looking ahead, for pharmaceutical companies to achieve the full clinical potential of their medicines, they must consider solutions that address the patient’s psychosocial needs. As pressures on the industry continue to grow, Healios is pioneering how mental health care is delivered through combining technology and evidence-based techniques with a human touch to maximise patient and family outcomes. We caught up with Founder, Chairman and CEO Richard Andrews to learn more about this dynamic and innovative company. GEX17006