66726Mi Wellbeing Planner and CoachClosedFeasibility StudiesInnovate UKThis project involves the development of a self-help, automated wellbeing coach app to help volunteers take steps to protect and improve their psychological wellbeing and happiness. This builds on and improves an existing prototype which has been favourable tested with people with cancer in the north west. The 'mi-wellbeing planner and coach' has a friendly conversational user interface and gently guides the user through a series of steps which generates a personalised, psychological health and wellbeing improvement plan, and then supports the individual in implementing their plan whilst tracking changes in their wellbeing levels using the WHO-5 item wellbeing scale. So many people are and will be experiencing worsening mental health as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic -- for instance stress and anxiety disorders, depression, addictive behaviours, anger control issues, eating disorders, psychosis and even PTSD. Existing mental health support systems, like talking therapies and hot lines, are being and will be overstretched. Our app will help protect and even improve the mental health and wellbeing of volunteers, whilst additionally helping them get better at helping other people take steps towards improved wellbeing over time. -------------------------------------- During the first phase of the project we have identified many other groups of people that would benefit from the Digital Wellbeing Planner and Coach. These include: - Councillors and therapists providing services to citizens and patients of NHS services. This group are known to be having mental health issues. - NHS Patients and service users of psychological therapy services (IAPT). - University students who are known to be vulnerable to poor wellbeing, especially in their first year of study. The Fast Response funding will be used to configure versions of the Digital Wellbeing Planner and Coach for these groups and to undertake further proto-typing and market testing for markets outside of the UK.