Ultrasis launch Ki Group in partnership with NHS

 ("Ultrasis" or the "Company")

 Ultrasis launch Ki Group in partnership with NHS Foundation Trust

Ultrasis plc is pleased to announce the creation of a new health care company in partnership with Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP). The company will trade as 'Ki Group' and will be equally owned by both parties. It will focus on the sale and delivery of mental health and wellbeing services across the NHS, Local Authorities and Corporate organisations.

On 1st August Ultrasis announced that it would be working in partnership with CWP to create this new business as a way of tackling the severe shortage of affordable and accessible mental and emotional health care services in the UK.

Dr Ian McPherson OBE has been appointed the independent Chair of Ki Group. The following people will be on the Ki Group Board and will be responsible for developing the business: John Smith CEO Ultrasis, Penelope Tembra, Finance Director Ultrasis, Nigel Crompton, Service Development, CWP, Jacqui Nevin, Consultant Psychologist, CWP, Julia Cottier, Service Director, CWP.

"The NHS remains a key business opportunity for Beating the Blues to help deliver affordable services and our new company will enable us to align ourselves to the current priorities of the public sector and make use of the strengths that CWP bring to the relationship." said John Smith, Chief Executive at Ultrasis. "Ki Group will begin to target General Practitioners, Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGS) and Improving Access to Psychological Therapies Services (IAPT) and offer them the opportunity to purchase a telephone supported version of Beating the Blues that brings together the very best of clinical support with the clear advantage for the patient of being prescribed Beating the Blues and getting access to help within 3 working days".

Dr Ian McPherson said "This new company builds on the best principles of the NHS and the commercial sector in health care to ensure that the large numbers of people who need access to psychological support can access this in a more timely and effective manner within the resources available to commission and provide these services. I am delighted to be given the opportunity to be involved in such a ground-breaking venture."

Further information about Ki Group will be available at www.kigroup.co.uk

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Editor's notes:

Ultrasis is a healthcare company with core expertise in health, psychology, software development and programme management. We deliver a range of healthcare products to the consumer, the NHS, the corporate sector and other healthcare providers in the UK and Internationally. Ultrasis was the first company to offer computerised products based on Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) and interactive multimedia, and is still the world leader in this field.

For more information about Ultrasis please visit www.ultrasis.com 

Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust (CWP) serves people across Cheshire and Wirral with services also provided to other areas, for example Trafford and Bolton. CWP also provides some specialist services on a regional footprint. Its activities have always been to provide primary and specialist mental health, learning disabilities, child and adolescent mental health and drug and alcohol services - as well as a range of specialist services such as eating disorder services. Since 2011, CWP also provides community physical health services in Western Cheshire. The Trust provides these services in partnership with local authorities, service users, carers and the voluntary/independent sectors.

The Trust is also a major local employer with more than 3,400 staff, working over 65 sites and serving a population of over a million people. The Foundation Trust also has over 15,000 members.

For more information about the Trust and its services visit www.cwp.nhs.uk 

Enquiries:

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