mPower team roll out new CBT App for Insomnia


The Western Isles mPower team have been instrumental in rolling out a new online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) app to support those suffering from insomnia, something that is on the increase during the current Covid-19 pandemic.

The use of the clinically tested app called Sleepio, developed my NHS Western Isles and in partnership with Big Health Ltd is part of a pilot project supported by the Scottish Government Technology Enabled Care programme and will run initially for 9 months. It offers anyone over the age of 18 who has access to an internet enabled device psychological support with sleep issues.

Martin Malcolm, Head of Public Health Intelligence and Project Lead at NHS Western Isles said NHS Western Isles had been working on a project to test access to online CBT for insomnia.  We realised how this could help people increasingly struggling with this problem in the current corona-virus pandemic particularly as they face restricted access to traditional psychological services.  As a result we have been able to quickly make the Sleepio online CBT programme available across the Islands supported by our mPower Community Navigator service so avoiding need for people to visit their GP to gain access”