Mental healthcare support provider, Oh My Mood UK Ltd, has received a significant investment from NPIF – BFS & MSIF Microfinance, managed by MSIF in partnership with GC Business Finance as part of the Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund.
Based at Liverpool Science Park, Oh My Mood develops innovative health care pathways to help support and improve practices within the mental health care profession.
Incorporated in November 2017, Oh My Mood offers blended care pathways that set out a patient plan by combining evidence-based therapeutic interventions, with the latest digital solutions (such as eHealth and video-calls); aiming to serve a vast audience with an effective and affordable programme.
Founder, Mr Jaime Essed, worked with his clinical director Helen Lionarons for a number of years designing new mental health solutions for the creation of Oh My Mood Ltd UK. As a Clinical Psychologist and CEO of a respected mental health trust based in the Netherlands, Helen was able to provide key support in developing pathway designs and content for the foundation of the business.
Following this, Jaime also spent a considerable amount of time working with Liverpool John Moores University, a partner of the Health Innovation Exchange, and University of Liverpool in order to make their evidence-based blended care available to mental health therapists and GPs.
The evidence used to create the pathways were derived from numerous studies carried out, facilitated by or written by leading psychologists/psychotherapists in the field of mental health. By working with UOL and LJMU, Jaime was able to develop recommendations into accessible and easy to use ‘blended care’ pathways.
LJMU is also linking postgraduate students with Oh My Mood to help run a series of seminars on mental health across the Liverpool City Region, known as Psychology Unwrapped. Already a success across several European cities, Psychology Unwrapped operates as a scientific based event which openly talks about mental health care topics; debunking common stigmas by raising awareness and educating.
Oh My Mood will use the NPIF investment to facilitate the growth of the business, as well as funding further research and development of blended care platforms.
Sue Chambers, MSIF Investment Manager said: “It has been a pleasure to work with Jaime to help bring Oh My Mood to fruition in the UK. He has a strong business established in the Netherlands and I see no reason why his presence in Liverpool would not follow suit. The service that they provide to the mental healthcare sector is impressive and innovative. I look forward to seeing the impact Oh My Mood will have across the region.”
Jaime Essed, Director and Founder of Oh My Mood said: “The MSIF support is of invaluable importance to the further growth of Oh My Mood. It was the welcoming environment that made us choose Liverpool as our first UK base. It’s therefore great that we have been able to work with a local partner for our first investment round.”
Sue Barnard, Senior Manager at British Business Bank, said: “Since its launch in 2017, NPIF’s impact on businesses has been wide-ranging, providing funding to launch new products, employ new staff, enter new markets and acquire new facilities. We are pleased that NPIF is continuing to unlock the North’s growth potential by supporting small growing businesses with vital investment.”
The Northern Powerhouse Investment Fund project is supported financially by the European Union using funding from the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) as part of the European Structural and Investment Funds Growth Programme 2014-2020 and the European Investment Bank.