Managing health and wellbeing during COVID-19 – Good Thinking shares insights report - Transformation Partners in Health and Care

Good Thinking, London’s digital mental wellbeing service, has published its first COVID-19 Insights Report. The report includes information about how people are using the website, and how this has changed through COVID-19. It also includes key insights from an ongoing research programme that Good Thinking has been working on with Partnership for Young London and TikTok to better understand the experiences of young people aged 14-24 in and around London through COVID-19. Search intent research is also being gathered, which is a methodology used to understand how people act online when using search engines such as Google to find the information they need. This is providing valuable insights into the issues being faced by people and the help they are seeking, especially as they search anonymously.

With over 120 online resources signposted at Good Thinking, including wellbeing information and guides, the service reaches a number of audiences who are seeking advice on topics related to sleep, anxiety, low mood and stress and has enabled users to access a wide range of resources personalised to their needs. As the impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) has evolved, the Good Thinking team has been making changes to the service to offer better support to Londoners, with more specific content developed and published, including articles, podcasts and blogs.

This report has provided Good Thinking and wider system partners with a rich source of information to enable the service to continue to respond to Londoners’ mental wellbeing needs caused by the impacts of the pandemic.

Richard Graham, Consultant Psychiatrist, and Clinical Lead for Good Thinking, said:

“A year ago, we undertook research that suggested Londoners, and especially young people would only make use of health information and services if it was ‘relatable’. If the information had no connection with their life, it was ignored; ‘not for me’.

“Responding to this is challenging in a capital city like London with its rich diversity, but add COVID-19 to the mix, and the challenges just grow. Generic terms such as ‘anxiety’ can seem a world away from the specificities of your own life, in your own community.

“Good Thinking has embarked upon an ambitious programme of reaching out to Londoners and listening not just to what they tell us, but also to what they want to know more about, or what worries them, through online activities or self-assessments, whilst always protecting their anonymity and privacy. Many tell us that they want support that is ‘free’, ‘digital’ and can be used ‘by myself’, but also that also offer self-assessment; this we do. But we are also learning of issues that are more concerning. Some are searching to find out if mental health services are available or open.

“Others are struggling to leave their homes more than once a week, if that, feeling anxious about their health and a second wave. These insights are a small snapshot of the needs of Londoners, that we can respond to, and complement what other services and voluntary agencies can offer. It is a strand of intelligence that can help us to respond better, and provide the support that Londoners can relate to, whilst the COVID-19 pandemic continues to impact upon our lives”

Good Thinking continues to develop and respond to the feedback from its users and this report shows, its usage continues to grow successfully.