WELLBEING APP 87% AND AIR AMBULANCES UK MARK MENTAL HEALTH AWARENESS WEEK WITH NEW COLLABORATION TO SUPPORT AIR AMBULANCE CHARITIES

  • Mental wellbeing platform 87% safeguards 50,000 emergency workers through Coronavirus pandemic.
  • Support of Air Ambulances UK is the first partnership of its kind, offering nationwide free access to mental health monitoring for air ambulance charity crews
  • Numerous other partnerships, including with the Royal College of Emergency Medicine and NHS Practitioner Health, represent support of a significant portion of Britain’s front-line emergency medicine community.
  • Data shows that the current crisis is having significant effects on the mental health of the working population.
  • 87% app offers customised content that helps to monitor and improve employees’ mental wellbeing.

The end of Mental Health Awareness Week 2020 marks an important date for mental wellbeing platform 87% as it announces the safeguarding of 50,000 frontline medical staff through the Coronavirus pandemic, including a new partnership with Air Ambulances UK.

Working with key organisations whose staff are battling the virus, 87% has custom built a number of platforms that will help emergency workers manage their mental health throughout the crisis.

The latest collaboration with Air Ambulances UK, the national organisation that represents and supports the lifesaving work of UK air ambulance charities, will provide air ambulance charities with the opportunity for their crews to freely access the app for six months, which has been scientifically designed to help users build healthy and positive mental health habits.

Nikki Wright, Operations and Marketing Director at Air Ambulances UK, said: “Safeguarding the wellbeing of crews is always a top priority for air ambulance charities, and we are committed to supporting this at a national level for our Members and their teams during COVID-19 and beyond.

“We are very grateful to 87% for providing the wellbeing app on a free trial basis to the air ambulance community. Our partnership focussed on pre-hospital emergency medicine, aims to enable air ambulance charity crew members to better monitor and track their mental wellbeing and help ensure they can access any relevant support they require through the app”

The collaboration with AAUK follows a successfully implemented partnership between 87% and the Royal College of Emergency Medicine (RCEM), with the launch of a fully customised mental wellbeing app specific to the needs of its 10,000 emergency physicians. The app allows staff to monitor and track their wellbeing and is being rolled out to be made available to all staff working in Emergency Departments; an additional 20,000 workers.

Dr Sunil Dasan, Chair of RCEM’s Sustainable Working Practices Committee, has noted the importance of this support amongst unprecedented times for medical staff across the country. Dr Dasan said, “There has been a huge spike in stress levels amongst those battling the virus and these workers need protecting from the associated risks to both their physical and mental wellbeing. Working with 87%, we have seen the direct benefits to our members in using the platform as a means of continually monitoring their mental health, with a flexibility that fits into their daily lives.”

Data from the 87% app stresses this point, showing that in the weeks since the outbreak, half of users have felt like they have less energy than usual and been worried by the changes in their work circumstances.

Backed by scientific research and a team of experienced psychologists, 87%’s vision is to improve employee mental wellbeing and indirectly benefit that of society in general through increased engagement and productivity. Based on findings that only 13% of adults report living with high levels of good mental health, the organisation serves to support the remaining 87%. Its services include custom content through its app, daily interactions, weekly mental fitness reports and a podcast series.

Among other medical staff benefitting from the services of 87% include the 8,000 members of the Royal College of Nursing’s Emergency Care Association and 87% is working with the NHS to make mental health and wellbeing support available to doctors and nurses across the UK, with a flexibility that fits into their daily lives. The platform is also in continued discussions with the London Ambulance Service for additional roll out, representing a significant portion of Britain’s front-line emergency medicine community.

Funding from the Aviva Foundation has made it possible for 87% to offer out its services to these organisations free of charge. Kirsty Cooper, Group General Counsel and Aviva Foundation Board Member  said, “Never has there been more urgent a need to safeguard the mental health of frontline staff and we are proud to be working with 87% in its support of emergency workers across the country.”

In addition to the emergency services, 87% is offering tangible support to small enterprises that are struggling with the pressures of the Coronavirus pandemic. More than 70 small businesses have already been granted free access to the mental wellbeing platform and the opportunity to register is still open.

Andy Bibby, CEO of 87%, said, “The Coronavirus crisis is drastically impacting the medical sector and putting untold pressure on those tasked with keeping us healthy. We are duty-bound to offer what support we can and the generous contributions of the Aviva Foundation have facilitated the wide-spread work we have been able to undertake in the field of emergency care. But the problems extend to broader business and that’s why we are offering 87% for free to small enterprises, namely those businesses and their employees who are particularly feeling the impact of the current pandemic and whose resources are strained.”