North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust
Physical Health Psychology Service (Cancer, Pain, Long-Term Conditions)
About the Service
This specialist Tier 3 NHS service provides psychological support for individuals whose mental health is significantly impacted by physical health conditions such as cancer, chronic pain, and long-term illness.
The team works with complex presentations, focusing on acceptance, adjustment, and trauma-informed approaches, rather than symptom “cure.”
The Challenge
Traditional outcome measures such as PHQ and GAD were not fully aligned with the needs of this client group.
Many symptoms measured (e.g. fatigue, appetite, concentration) are directly linked to physical illness, making it difficult to accurately capture true psychological progress and improvements in wellbeing.
At the same time, the service faced:
- Limited capacity for manual audits
- A need for more meaningful, real-time outcome data
- Increasing demand to evidence clinical effectiveness
Why Measure Well
The team were looking for a solution that could:
- Capture holistic wellbeing, not just symptom severity
- Reflect outcomes aligned with psychological therapy goals
- Provide real-time insights and analysis
- Support efficient service evaluation
The Solution
The service piloted the Measure Well Hub & WHHQ, introducing a structured wellbeing measure alongside their existing tools.
Results & Impact
Even within a small pilot cohort, the team identified clear benefits:
✅ Validated Clinical Impact
The data confirmed measurable improvements in wellbeing across cases, supporting what clinicians were already observing in practice.
✅ Better Representation of Complex Needs
The WHHQ captured significantly lower baseline wellbeing scores than typical services—demonstrating the complexity and appropriateness of the Tier 3 referral pathway.
✅ Meaningful Outcome Measurement
The measure aligned more closely with therapeutic goals such as:
- Adjustment
- Acceptance
- Quality of life
✅ Real-Time Insights
The platform enabled quick evaluation of pre/post outcomes, supporting audit and service learning without intensive manual analysis.
Clinician Experience
“We really liked the measure and the ability to analyse outcomes at both individual and service level.”
“The questions were thoughtful, reflective, and relevant to psychological therapy.”
“The support and training from the Measure Well team was very helpful.”
Implementation Insights
As with many NHS services, implementation took place within a complex digital and operational environment.
Key learning points included:
- Integration with existing electronic patient record systems is an important factor for large organisations
- Adoption is most effective when aligned with existing workflows and administrative support
- System-level changes in NHS settings often require senior-level approval and investment
These insights highlight important considerations for scaling digital innovation across large healthcare systems.
Looking Ahead
The pilot demonstrated that the WHHQ is a valuable tool for:
- Capturing meaningful wellbeing outcomes
- Supporting reflective clinical practice
- Strengthening evidence for service impact
The learning from this pilot provides a strong foundation for:
- Future integration opportunities
- Broader adoption in services with greater system flexibility
- Enhanced implementation planning in complex environments
Recommendation
“The Measure Well Hub is ideal for organisations where there is flexibility in managing digital client records.”
“It’s a really useful measure to capture meaningful wellbeing outcomes in psychological therapy.”
