Strategic healthcare PR agency, Evergreen PR, has been appointed by Big Health UK to drive forward the adoption of Sleepio, its world-leading digital treatment for insomnia.
Sleepio is an evidence-based digital treatment that delivers cognitive behavioural therapy for Insomnia (CBTi), which the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommends as first-line treatment for the sleep disorder.
Insomnia affects around one in three people every week in the UK and the condition is associated with significant impacts on mental health, physical health, quality of life and function. Yet access to the recommended treatment of CBTi has long been limited by a lack of trained CBTi therapists.
In May 2022, Sleepio became the first-ever digital treatment to be recommended by NICE as clinically effective and cost-saving for the NHS. However, despite the urgent need for CBTi, and Sleepio’s proven effectiveness in Scotland where it has been nationally available since 2021, it is not currently widely available in England.
Evergreen PR will develop and deliver a strategic communications programme to help drive the national adoption of Sleepio, which NICE says will save the NHS money and increase patient access to the recommended treatment. It will also reduce the current overreliance on the second-line treatment of sleeping pills, which are linked to adverse side effects including dependence and withdrawal.
Will Goddard, managing director for Big Health UK, said: “We’re excited to be working with Evergreen as a key strategic partner to support our mission to help millions back to good mental health.
“While Sleepio’s NICE recommendation was a landmark moment, it means nothing unless the patients who need help actually receive it. For Sleepio to deliver the health and financial benefits outlined by NICE it must be nationally available and widely adopted via the NHS.
“We were impressed by Evergreen’s track record of delivering impact, and their attentiveness and creativity in early conversations. This gave me confidence that they could help us deliver our goal. We’ve had a strong start to the engagement and we’re looking forward to working with them to improve access to mental health treatment in this country.”
Leigh Greenwood, Evergreen PR founder and managing director, said: “Our agency exists to ‘make health happen’ and so we’re excited to be working with Big Health to ensure their evidence-based, world-leading digital treatments reach the hands of more people who need them.
“It’s so important that people who are struggling with their mental health can easily access safe and effective guideline treatment. We’re looking forward to making this a reality through effective breakthrough campaigns that drive adoption, while also establishing Big Health as a leader in mental health care.”
Earlier this year, Evergreen PR delivered a successful PR and public affairs campaign for The Sleep Charity, highlighting the lack of support being made available to patients with insomnia and calling on the government to establish a National Sleep Strategy to help the millions struggling with sleep issues. The campaign secured ministerial backing for change.
