"Partnering with Simplyhealth represents a significant milestone for us."
- Stephen Costello, CEO & Co-Founder at Spectrum.Life
This partnership secures Simplyhealth’s customers access to Spectrum.Life’s new digital mental health service as part of their Health Plan. Spectrum.Life’s offering includes a fully digital mental health support experience where members can assess their mental health, select the counsellor they want to see, and access brief intervention counselling or short-term counselling as appropriate.
Customers will receive personalised, clinician-matched support, accommodating availability, gender, age, and expertise preferences. Appointments can be booked directly through the platform and manage schedules.
For those wanting immediate support, customers can access 24/7 brief intervention counselling without delay. By focusing on continuous mental health support, the service encourages early engagement to prevent issues from escalating, reducing absenteeism, and boosting workplace performance. The platform ensures the highest standards of confidentiality and clinical governance, safeguarding privacy and maintaining strict clinical oversight in every interaction.
Spectrum.Life’s digital mental health solution uses a network of over 2,350 fully accredited, highly qualified counsellors and psychotherapists. This will be accessible to Simplyhealth’s 2.5mn customers, including thousands of businesses that use the solution to support staff mental health.
This partnership contributes to pivotal advancement in expanding access to mental healthcare across the UK. According to the latest research commissioned by Simplyhealth, 21% of employees in the UK took unplanned leave for mental health problems in the last twelve months – with an average of 5.8 days per condition, making it the most common reason for sick leave.
Notably, employers have also noticed this trend between poor mental health and sick leave requests, with 33% reporting rising mental health days as one of the biggest problems their business is coming up against. The vast majority of employers (79%) agreed that it’s their responsibility to support mental health beyond the workplace.
“We’re passionate about reducing barriers for our members looking to make that critical first step in accessing care, and we believe that digital-first healthcare solutions – that allow quick access and fit in with their lives – will provide this for our customers,” explained Tina Kennedy, Director of Product at Simplyhealth.
She said: “We’re impressed by Spectrum.Life’s digital mental health solution; whose high quality of clinical care, combined with its innovative technology, allows greater access via multiple platforms. By joining forces, we’re working towards our purpose of improving access to healthcare for all, and also supporting businesses to keep their staff healthy and in work.”
Stephen Costello, CEO & Co-Founder of Spectrum.Life, added: “We’re a second-generation digital health provider, and we firmly believe that Spectrum.Life’s blend of clinical acumen and successful track record in scaling digital technologies presents a genuine opportunity to revolutionise healthcare.
“Our goal is to elevate patient satisfaction and outcomes, within a commercially sustainable model that actively contributes to healthcare transformation and, critically, accessibility. Partnering with Simplyhealth represents a significant milestone for us,” he concluded.
