Building Bridges Across the Mental Health Ecosystem

Following the successful Mental Health Breakfast in November, Conduit Connect hosted another impactful Health & Wellbeing meetup, continuing the vital conversation around improving mental health access and treatment in the UK. The gathering was expertly led by Aahuti Rai, Investor and Advisor to Conduit Connect and healthtech ventures, who has been instrumental in fostering collaboration across the mental health innovation ecosystem. This meetup brought together diverse stakeholders from across the healthcare landscape, all united by their mission to tackle the systemic challenges preventing accessible and effective mental health interventions. The session built on the momentum from the November panel event, translating initial discussions into actionable collaboration. The group addressed critical issues facing mental health innovation, from the difficulties SMEs and startups face navigating NHS procurement frameworks to the urgent need for bridging the physical-mental health divide. Participants recognized that while the UK’s universal healthcare system provides free care at point of access, many innovators are forced into private and self-pay routes due to complex regulatory and reimbursement challenges. Rather than succumbing to frustration with systemic barriers, the community embraced “healthy activism,” committing to expand representation across stakeholder groups and build bridges throughout the ecosystem. The meetup reinforced the group’s balanced approach: serving as a collective voice to influence health policy while pragmatically helping members solve immediate challenges to make health innovations more accessible and scalable. This ongoing initiative exemplifies how grassroots collaboration can drive meaningful change in mental health innovation and care delivery.