Manchester researchers recognised for digital symptom tracking app
A digital mental health tracking app which is changing care for people with psychosis has been recognised for its outstanding impact at The University of Manchester’s (UoM) Making a Difference Awards 2026.
The Awards recognise the achievements of UoM staff, students, alumni and external partners, and celebrate how they are making a difference.
The ‘Transforming Psychosis Care with Digital Innovation – CareLoop’ project was named winner of the Outstanding Benefit to Society through Research Award. This impactful work is led by researchers from Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust (GMMH), the University of Manchester and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).
Psychosis is when people lose some contact with reality. This might involve seeing or hearing things that other people cannot see or hear (hallucinations) and believing things that are not actually true (delusions). It may also involve confused (disordered) thinking and speaking.
Psychosis relapse – the return or worsening of symptoms – can be unpredictable and lead to delays in people accessing the treatment that they need. This project addressed that gap by developing a digital system that shifts care from crisis response to proactive prevention. 
CareLoop Health, a UoM spin-out, is an NHS-endorsed digital therapeutic built on over a decade of clinical trials at GMMH and other NHS Trusts.
The digital app offers real time symptom tracking that acts as an early warning system to predict when there is going to be a relapse. It also provides people with digital access to online Cognitive Behavioural Therapy support.
CareLoop halves relapse risk, reduces admissions and is now being rolled out across multiple NHS trusts, supporting national and global scale-up. In GMMH, digital navigators have been employed to advise and support healthcare teams to use the technology.
The project leads are Professor Sandra Bucci, Professor John Ainsworth and Professor Shôn Lewis, who are Programme Leads for the Digital and Data Sciences Programme in Manchester BRC’s Mental Health Theme.
Professor Bucci, Co-Director of the Complex Trauma and Resilience Research Unit at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, Professor of Clinical Psychology at The University of Manchester and an NIHR Senior Investigator and said: “We were thrilled to receive this award, which recognises the collective efforts of a large team of researchers, clinicians, service users, lived-experience partners, students, NHS colleagues and collaborators who are committed to improving mental health care.
“Our work is driven by a clear goal: to ensure that research doesn’t remain within academic settings, but leads to meaningful improvements in people’s lives, services and communities. This award is a testament to the power of partnership and to the importance of developing evidence-based innovations that can make a real difference to society.
Professor Bucci’s work focusses on developing digital care pathways and using technology to improve detection and treatment of severe mental health problems.
She currently leads the CONNECT research study, which is looking at whether it is possible to detect if a person with severe mental health problems is at risk of becoming unwell again by analysing data collected on their smartphone and fitness tracker.
Speaking in the film shown at the ceremony, Professor Rebecca Elliott, Director of Research in the Division of Psychology and Mental Health at UoM and a Programme Lead in Manchester BRC’s Mental Health Theme, said:
The app has really revolutionised our approach to care for people with psychosis. It gives people far more control of their condition, and it really works. It’s halved relapse rates in people who use it and it’s made a tremendous difference to their lives.
I just want to say a huge congratulations to Sandra, Shôn, John, and the rest of the team on an amazing and transformative piece of work.
Embed video: https://youtu.be/8GxKCiDWsD8?si=AhD_HKSt4tlhhiN4
The 2026 Awards ceremony took place in UoM’s Whitworth Hall on Wednesday 6 May, with Chancellor Nazir Afzal OBE and Vice-Chancellor Duncan Ivison. The Awards offer the opportunity to share best practice about social responsibility initiatives and encourage others to get involved.
Read more about the Making a Difference Awards 2026 winners and highly commended teams on The University of Manchester website. You can find out more about Professor Bucci’s and C-TRU’s research projects by visiting sites.manchester.ac.uk/ctru/.
