All 70 non-clinical and clinical staff at Amicus Health GP practice in Devon have been given a wearable ‘mood tracking’ device as part of a new wellbeing initiative.
The practice is taking part in an eight-week trial of the ‘Moodbeam One’ device, which allows the user to log how they feel in any moment by pushing a single button.
The data collected by an accompanying app can then be used to see how practice staff are feeling and coping, and enable employers to provide appropriate support.
How it works
Two buttons on the device are used to record when the user’s day is going either well or not well. This information is then tracked by the app, which uses visualisations of mood information to help the user identify personal triggers and patterns in their mood, according to health tech company Moodbeam.
This data is then stored in the cloud and visible to employers on a dashboard, which can then be used to drive ‘employee engagement, support and positive organisational change’, the company said.
The tool was originally made in a wristband format, but a clippable version of the device for use within healthcare settings and other environments has also been developed.
Avoiding crisis point
Kiran Johnson, co-founder at Primary Care Direct, which provides support services to PCNs and has partnered with Moodbeam for the trial, said it was ‘the perfect opportunity’ to test out new ways of working, given the ‘heavy emphasis’ on staff wellbeing in the NHS People Plan.
She added: ‘By having staff report how their day is going in real-time via the Moodbeam One, Primary Care Direct will be able to monitor how everyone is doing via the dashboards, making sure that if and where people do show signs of strain we will be able to step in and support in a variety of ways before a crisis point is reached.’
Christina Colmer McHugh, co-founder and director at Moodbeam, said: ‘After more than six months of restrictions and additional health pressures on the NHS, many GPs and their teams are understandably feeling the strain and we’re really pleased to be working with Primary Care Direct to support the NHS via these trials.’
