Navigating UK Market Distribution for Digital Mental Health Solutions

This MHIN meetup focused on solving the critical challenge of distributing digitally enabled mental health solutions across different UK market verticals. The session aimed to help innovators understand how to build effective business models, distribution strategies, and value propositions for various customer segments in the evolving UK healthcare landscape.

The event featured a series of “Voice of the Customer” interviews designed to provide direct insights from key market verticals. Dr Chris Tomkins from Business in the Community, AXA, and Unilever was interviewed alongside Simon Miller, International Partnerships Director at Headspace, representing the insurance and employer perspective. The NHS viewpoint was explored through James Woollard, CCIO and Consultant Psychiatrist, in conversation with Victoria Betton, a User Centred Design Specialist from PeopleDotCom.

The pharmaceutical sector was represented by Victor Barzey from Otsuka Digital Health Care & Market Access, interviewed by Aahuti Rai, Advisor & Venture Partner in Healthcare Innovation. Additional market perspectives came from Ross O’Brien, MD of Wysa specializing in AI & XR, and Alex Winterbotham, CEO of OmBeond, an XR/Immersive studio.

The session recognized the UK as a “small but mighty” market known for innovation incubation, with participants exploring how shifting dynamics—including NHS operational challenges, rising private healthcare needs, and emerging sectors like retail pharmacy—are creating new opportunities for digital mental health distribution.