Boost for VR mental health therapy

Oxford VR’s (OVR) pioneering tech therapies targeting support for serious mental health issues are to be trialed by the UK NHS.

We previously featured the progress Oxford VR is making in advancing VR-enabled therapy; and this latest announcement from the company is a landmark moment that could herald the beginning of a new era of innovative healthcare options for conditions like psychosis. OVR is an ‘integral collaborator’ in the multi-million pound gameChange project funded by the UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) that will now engage in the first ‘multi-site trial to test VR therapy treatment for psychosis to advance its roll out by the NHS and Social Care’.

“We are at a moment of real change in advancing treatment for serious, complex and costly mental health conditions and gameChange will show how the very best psychological science when combined with scaleable, state-of-the-art VR technology can revolutionise treatment and deliver a superior patient experience. gameChange shows that Oxford VR has the know-how and capacity to go beyond the primary care to create a standard treatment for more challenging and costly mental health conditions,” said Barnaby Perks, Founding CEO of Oxford VR.

A number of NHS mental health trusts will carry out the trial, with 432 patients set to take part.