The challenge
We had previously developed a digital wellbeing platform for a healthcare client, used by universities, GP practices, and healthcare providers to support individuals managing stress, anxiety, and other mental health challenges. The platform enabled users to track emotions, complete questionnaires, record medications, access self-help resources, and receive guided support from healthcare professionals.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, NHS staff working in intensive care and frontline settings were exposed to exceptionally challenging and traumatic experiences. The client identified an opportunity to adapt the existing platform to support NHS staff experiencing intrusive memories associated with their work during the pandemic, as part of a clinically governed research programme investigating interventions to reduce distress.
Our objective was to rapidly adapt the existing platform into a secure, scalable digital service suitable for NHS staff use, while maintaining high standards of information security, reliability, and usability. The solution needed to:
- Provide a safe and intuitive mechanism for recording intrusive memories and associated distress levels
- Support delivery of a structured intervention through an integrated digital activity
- Capture research data accurately and consistently
- Protect sensitive user information in line with NHS and GDPR expectations
- Operate reliably at scale for geographically distributed users
The application
Working closely with the client’s clinical research team, we extended the existing application using Ruby on Rails and JavaScript, redesigning key user journeys to support the study protocol.
Users were able to securely record details of intrusive memories, complete validated distress assessments, participate in a structured intervention involving a recognised digital activity, and then re-assess their distress levels following completion. The application captured assessment data and intervention outcomes in a structured format, enabling researchers to analyse effectiveness while maintaining participant confidentiality and data integrity.
Particular attention was given to usability, ensuring the platform remained straightforward to use during periods of heightened stress. Delivery followed an Agile methodology, enabling rapid iteration and continuous feedback from researchers and clinical stakeholders throughout the project.
The infrastructure
The platform was deployed within a secure, UK-hosted AWS cloud environment, managed in line with ISO 27001-aligned security practices. The environment incorporated:
- EC2, RDS, and S3 for application hosting and data management
- VPC network segmentation and controlled access policies
- CloudWatch monitoring and alerting
- Automated backup and recovery processes
This infrastructure ensured resilience, scalability, and protection of sensitive information throughout the study.
The outcome
The adapted platform provided NHS staff with a secure and accessible digital tool designed to support wellbeing during one of the most challenging periods experienced by the healthcare sector.
The solution successfully enabled the collection of high-quality research data while maintaining a positive user experience for participants. Researchers were able to monitor engagement, capture intervention outcomes, and evaluate the effectiveness of the approach using reliable and consistent data, without compromising participant anonymity.
By repurposing and extending an existing platform, the project was delivered rapidly and cost-effectively, enabling the client to support frontline healthcare workers when timely intervention was most critical. The project demonstrated our ability to adapt existing digital platforms for new use cases, combining secure infrastructure, user-centred design, and reliable data collection within a healthcare research environment.