With April being Stress Awareness Month, Carr Consulting & Communications (CCC) interviewed 25 protection advice firms, representing over 500 advisers to gain their views on mental health and wellbeing apps, at a time when the market is predicted to double in size
The majority (63%) of advisers said mental health apps – whether bundled with insurance or not – represented effective self-management tools and/or essential support.
Just over half (51%) said mental health apps combined with insurance products ‘genuinely added value to customers’, although a quarter (25%) thought they were ‘a marketing sales tool’
CCC found that growth in the mental health and wellbeing app market is seen to be due to ‘difficulties accessing public sector mental health support’ according to the majority of advisers (57%), who also thought that such apps represented effective self-management tools and genuinely added value to customers.
This comes following reports that global spending on mental health and wellbeing apps is predicted to more than double this year in comparison to pre-pandemic, from $203m in 2019 to $491m in 2022.
It also follows recent comments from employer and adviser speakers at the LaingBuisson Private Healthcare Summit of some apps being “vastly oversold” and “not the solution to everything”.
Although the majority vote in CCC’s research is positive, nearly a quarter (23%) thought that mental health apps – whether bundled with insurance or not – were ‘a sticking plaster solution’ with one in ten (11%) saying they ‘over-promise and under-perform’.
In response to thoughts on apps embedded within insurance products, although the majority thought they added genuine value to customers, a quarter (25%) said they were ‘a marketing sales tool’ followed by 16% who thought they represented ‘an important part of clinical care pathways’.
Jennie Doyle, head of marketing at Health Shield, said: “Being positive on the whole, these results say to us that providers are doing a good job of assessing apps for quality, in terms of ensuring they are thoroughly evidence-based, before offering them via our products and services. Indeed, we offer the Thrive mental health app via our Health Cash Plans; selected through rigorous assessment for its clinical effectiveness. Thrive is also used and recommended by the NHS.
“In our opinion, it’s important to consider any mental health and wellbeing apps as part of holistic care pathway support that caters for the whole person – physical, psychological, financial and social – as opposed to fix-all solutions. And that’s where providers can really help out too, with regards to integrated thinking and parity of support services.”
Emma Walker, chief marketing officer at LifeSearch, added: “LifeSearch data gathered throughout the pandemic shows that large sections of the UK now use mental health apps for relief and support.
“We welcome such services from insurers, and we also invested in ShinyMind – a wellbeing platform designed and tested with the NHS, which has contributed to higher levels of employee morale, and greater resilience in tumultuous times.
“Stress and mental health is a hugely complex area and some people remain sceptical, but this research shows many advisers across the industry are supportive of wellbeing apps and services.”
Natalie Summerson, sales and marketing director at British Friendly, cocluded: “The Clinic in a Pocket app we use for our Mutual Benefits and care support services makes accessing these services much easier for our members.
“It also gives us useful data on what’s valuable to them and what’s not so we can tailor services more effectively. They’re a valuable part of a Protection and Health offering.”
