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By Jill Owens, Senior Programme Manager

Now that the Mindset-XR Innovation Support Programme is in full swing, I’m struck by the progress our innovators have achieved in such a short time.

Time and again, the common threads are a deep understanding of clinical needs, the ability to demonstrate positive patient outcomes, delivering cost efficiencies, and championing inclusivity.

Throughout 2025, I witnessed an incredible number of breakthroughs, two of which I’d like to highlight here. My hope is that these stories serve as inspiration and a practical roadmap for other innovators.

Earlier this year, North Yorkshire NHS Talking Therapies part of Tees, Esk and Wear Valleys NHS Foundation Trust launched Tend VR’s mindfulness based cognitive therapy using immersive VR headsets.

Tend VR’s solution has been developed in partnership with Britain’s oldest mental health provider, The Retreat Clinics, as well as academics at Cambridge University, University College London (UCL) and Manchester University.

Tend VR costs up to five times less than normal talking therapy. Early NHS results show that 71% of people using it noticeably improved, and Tend VR is on track to continue delivering this level of impact. On average, people’s depression scores went down by 6 points, and their anxiety scores dropped by 8 points.

Compared to what’s normally seen at step-2 NHS care (which is for people with mild to moderate anxiety or depression), Tend VR’s improvement in depression was about 50% better, and their improvement in anxiety, was about 130% better.

Delivered at scale through virtual reality in NHS and community settings, it also helps reduce patient waiting lists and prevents the escalation of mental health issues. The service is accessible in two flexible ways: either in-person at an accessible location, using shared headsets, or remotely at home with a loaned headset.

Dr. Dan Anderson, Consultant Psychiatrist at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust, has also completed the Tend VR-MBCT course and is incorporating it into his practice.

The experiences of both patients and clinicians are described in the BBC article, Virtual reality mindfulness transformed my life.

Moving forward, founder of Tend VR, Matt Hoad-Robson, said: “We’re scaling Tend rapidly in the coming year, building strong UK-wide foundations, and we’re looking for NHS partners to grow with us.”

XR Therapeutics is another innovator on the Mindset-XR Innovation Support Programme helping to shape the mental healthcare innovation roadmap. It has grown from a university spin-out into a UK health tech company working with seven NHS Trusts, one ICB and three third-sector organisations.

Their flagship solution, Boundless, is a therapist-controlled XR-enabled platform used within NICE-approved talking therapies such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitisation and Reprocessing (EMDR) and graded exposure.

It provides virtual simulations of anxiety-provoking situations, enabling patients to safely and directly interact with scenarios that trigger distress while their therapist delivers structured therapeutic techniques in real time.

To promote inclusivity, the solution can be adapted to meet the needs of autistic individuals and those with learning disabilities, while maintaining existing clinical pathways.

Boundless is designed for clinician convenience as it works with devices already available in services, eliminating the need for specialist hardware.

While some patients typically require around 12 sessions of traditional therapy, this intervention can significantly improve efficiency, with certain patients experiencing positive outcomes in fewer than three sessions.

One clinician reported how the XR Therapeutic mobile app helped a student with emotional regulation.

XR Therapeutics are delighted with feedback from users of their solution.

Penny Day, COO, XR Therapeutics said that patients reported feeling more in control, less overwhelmed and better able to engage at their own pace.

As we move further into 2026, the Health Innovation Network South London is excited to continue the Mindset-XR Innovation Support Programme supporting with tailored business coaching, strategic communications assistance, and valuable introductions.

The Mindset-XR Innovation Support Programme also has a wealth of resources for all innovators.

If you’d like to speak to the team about innovation support, email us at hin.mindset@nhs.net

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