Voluntary Application: Mental Health Innovations
Mental Health Innovations (MHI) operates Shout, the UK’s only free, 24/7 text‑based mental health support service. Drawing on nearly three million anonymised conversations, MHI has been able to fill significant gaps in mental health data across regions and demographic groups, generating insights that were previously unavailable.
Following its merger with digital mental health charity The Mix, MHI has expanded its support tools and is now developing one of the UK’s largest datasets on youth mental health. With a wide range of communication and distribution channels, MHI ensures these insights reach key decision‑makers—including NHS leaders and government departments—helping to inform policy, service design and national mental health priorities.
Applying the Code: Trustworthiness, Quality and Value (TQV)
MHI demonstrates a rigorous commitment to governance and transparency, ensuring all user data remains fully anonymous and securely stored within an ISO 27001‑certified environment. The organisation does not engage in lobbying and maintains clear, public guidelines on the scope and nature of its work. This uncompromising focus on trustworthiness safeguards user privacy and ensures that MHI’s insights remain impartial and credible.
Quality underpins every aspect of MHI’s analytical work. Their data is used to enhance the clarity and accessibility of mental health statistics across the UK, with all analyses undergoing robust internal quality assurance and, where appropriate, academic peer review. During the merger with The Mix, MHI reinforced this commitment by carrying out a comprehensive data‑quality audit of The Mix’s complex dataset. This included harmonising key data fields—such as conversation topics—and expanding automated pipelines to integrate the data into a shared cloud environment.
To maximise the value of their insights, MHI employs a wide range of dissemination methods. Through open‑access reports, blog posts and in‑person events, they ensure their findings reach policymakers and practitioners across more than 100 commissioning organisations, as well as the Department of Health and Social Care and the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.
Mark Ungless, Director of Data Science, AI and Research at MHI, said:
“We’re absolutely delighted that Mental Health Innovations has won this year’s Trustworthiness, Quality & Value award. Our work aims to generate mental health statistics and insights about our services, with a particular focus on children and young people. This award is a tribute to the high‑quality work of our dedicated and innovative Data Insights Team, and the many other colleagues who collaborate with them.
“We will continue to build on the work recognised by this award to enhance our digital services and provide statistics and insights of value to others—including the wider sector, government, our service users, and the general public—to help achieve our mission to transform the mental health of the nation.”