New app empowers and supports workers from Hampshire, all the way to Silicon Valley

Sickness and absenteeism cost the UK economy £76 billion a year in lost productivity – for businesses, that’s an average of £781 per employee.

So imagine the benefit if workers could digitally track their own mental and physical wellbeing and use that information to help healthcare professionals with any diagnosis and treatment.

University friends Laura Meehan and Jessica Jobson saw this need and have teamed up to create the Journally app. Now the pair from Hampshire are off to Silicon Valley in America to pitch their product and talk to potential investors.

Credit: Mohamed Hassan

Their vision is to empower and support people to take control of their wellbeing and make informed decisions by using Journally’s research-driven digital tools.

They say the user-friendly app removes the barrier of medical jargon and simplifies the tracking of a person’s symptoms.

It can be used to produce a concise version of the user’s concerns so that they can easily communicate with clinicians and get an improved outcome.

This can reduce the impact on the individual and their employer and also help to foster a more positive and productive work environment.

Laura explained: “Our app’s research-driven journalling practices identify, prevent and improve employees’ mental and physical health, reducing the financial and human burden of illness.

“The way the app identifies the health of the user and the prompts that it gives are unique.

“Journalling was about before and we’re not saying we’ve invented it, but what we’re doing is looking at it from a different angle.

“There are prompts that are designed to help people to improve their overall individual wellbeing, physically and mentally.

“For instance if someone has problems with depression or anxiety, then we give them a product that will suit their needs.

It is the personalisation that makes it unique. Whether it’s text, voice or image, we offer multiple mediums to ensure a highly personal experience.”

She added: “We noticed that there was a particular need in certain industries where there can be sickness, absenteeism, high workload and burnout – areas such as hospitality, the finance sector and construction.

“Businesses seem very keen to get involved and we’re in conversation with them at the moment.”

Laura said her main drive behind creating Journally was to ensure that everybody had a voice.

“Communication is important and as part of the app we’re looking to introduce a step-by-step guide to help people prepare for an appointment with a GP with confidence.

“On average you have just three minutes in a GP appointment to get across everything you need to say.

“But people may be experiencing difficulties explaining how they’re feeling.

“We wanted to take away that anxiety, so on the app you’ll be able to answer a series of questions that can be referred to during an appointment or meeting.”

Image by rawpixel.com

Laura accepts there may be wariness among some people about data security when recording personal information digitally. But she said Journally prioritises privacy.

“With our secure local storage feature, users have complete control over their personal data.”

She originally started Journally on Etsy, the global online marketplace. But last year she teamed up with Jessica to develop the product and make it digital.

“If someone has problems with depression or anxiety, then we give them a product that will suit their needs.”

She explained: “People said to me that it could be more than an Etsy journal. I wanted to create something that was more digitally-based and Jessica had that expertise. She was also passionate about the goals of the business.”

They partnered with the University of Southampton’s Future Worlds, where early stage start-ups attend boot camp and the best pitches join the cohort for a year.

The pair also secured initial grant funding and won the Early Stage Innovator award at VentureFest South 2022.

This month they’re aiming to have their first businesses signed up to participate in a research trial.

Laura said: “It’s important to us that the businesses we choose match our values and objectives, and we want to ensure a successful partnership.

“We’re looking for businesses that are prepared to commit to continuing to help their employees should they see the benefits of our app trial.”

She added: “It’s been quite a fast-moving journey for us. We’ve already done so much. But when I reflect back on the past year, it has gone in the blink of an eye.

“The help and support we’ve received and the passion from people about what we’re doing has been phenomenal.

“When Journally takes off, we’ll look to develop it further with more innovative elements. Our goal is to create something where all your health and wellbeing, mental and physical, is in one place. We’re trying to redefine how people do journalling.”