A NEW app believed to help improve mental wellbeing has been developed in Worcestershire.

The Worcestershire Healthy Minds App was developed to provide tips and techniques to help people self-manage mental health problems such as stress and anxiety.

The app was developed in-house by Worcestershire Health and Care NHS Trust’s communications team and its healthy minds service.

Simona Stokes, clinical lead for Worcestershire Healthy Minds said: “In this age where using mobile applications is a way of life, Worcestershire Healthy Minds has developed an app to enable people to get self-help information at their fingertips about managing common mental health difficulties.

"The app is especially helpful for raising awareness of signs and symptoms of emotional distress and in giving people some useful tools to start to manage their difficulties.

"The app is also a way to reach out and to engage people with early help when there may be a reluctance to seek professional support.”

It allows people to take control of problems including phobias, OCD, sleeping issues and bereavement and is available to download for free.

Gary Morgan, head of communications for the Trust, said: “We are really pleased to have worked with our colleagues in our Healthy Minds service to develop an app, in-house, which we hope will really support people to access help and support wherever they are and whenever they need it.

"The early feedback we’ve had has been great and we’re looking forward to more people benefiting from it.”

The Mental Health Foundation estimate that one in four people will suffer from a mental health problem in any given year and this app seeks to help people affected by a mental health illness.

The app is now available on both Android and Apple devices. To download the app search ‘Worcestershire Healthy Minds’ in the App Store and the Google Play Store.