Innovative treatment launched at Trust to treat insomnia during pandemic
The Trust's dedicated Insomnia Team has launched a ‘one of a kind’ video treatment programme to continue much-needed support for insomnia sufferers during the coronavirus pandemic.
As one of the few Insomnia Clinics in the UK, the team are crucial in supporting patients from all across the South of England to achieve better sleep and a better quality of life.
Knowing that their face to face cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) would be temporarily on hold as a result of lockdown, the team commissioned a set of five videos to make up a comprehensive ‘virtual’ treatment plan to ensure continued patient care throughout the pandemic.
Louise Berger, who leads the Insomnia Service at Royal Surrey, said: "With studies showing a massive increase in complaints of insomnia due to Covid-19, this digital treatment programme is more valuable than ever.
"It follows our highly effective ‘BETTER’ sleep programme, which focuses on supporting the patient to understand their sleep condition, as well as providing proven methods to reset the body and retrain the mind.
"Insomnia is the most common sleep disorder, with 30 percent of the UK population complaining of regular difficulty falling or staying asleep.
"It can have a huge impact on the physical and mental health of the sufferer and negatively impact the quality of their life.
"Our new video treatment plan will mean that the team will now be able to treat and support our patients more comprehensively and with fewer delays.
"We know that this will make a positive difference to those who may be suffering."
Alison, 53 a patient from Ashtead who has suffered with insomnia since 2014 has felt the benefit from the videos and said: "I am so grateful to be able to access my treatment online and the videos are brilliant.
"I loved them and have watched them all. I have also re-watched bits of them and taken notes."
Louise finished by saying: "Although we will always offer a number of treatment options, we see these videos as being a vital and popular part of our service for years to come."