Go with the FLO - Using FLO as an interactive information tool

The Healthy Minds Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service at Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust has developed a pilot project to improve attendance at group therapy sessions by using Florence telehealth application (FLO) to text patients with reminders and prompts to help them manage their recovery. FLO is a text messaging service which uses a protocol that can be tailored to the specific needs and requirements of patients. Once patients’ mobile phone numbers have been loaded into the FLO system and assigned to a protocol, text messages are automatically sent at specific times.The service is using FLO to deliver text messages which encourage attendance and prompt service users to complete homework from the course. This intervention has made the service more productive as the number of did not attend (DNA) appointments has fallen. FLO also leads to better patient outcomes as they showed improved recovery; this has the added implication that patients require less face to face contact, resulting in cost and time savings.

Initially attendance at the group therapy sessions (e.g. Stress Class and Mood Group) was low and recovery was poor, as reported using the PHQ9 and GAD7 tools which measure depression and anxiety. Consequently the service engaged in a pilot between April and June 2014 to use FLO to support the delivery of these groups