The Irish Advertising Standard Authority, concluded on October 3rd 2024, that SilverClouds advertisement of a recovery rate “up to 65%” should not be published again. In their judgement the IASA said that no evidence had been provided to substantiate the recovery rate and expressed concern at the advertiser’s failure to respond. Yet SilverCloud claims to support “80% of NHS Services”. Both NHS Talking Therapies and SilverCloud have refused to engage in any public debate. Despite attracting Government funding of £2billion a year, there has been no publicly funded independent evaluation of effectiveness.
The best independent evidence Scott (2018), suggests that only the tip of the iceberg recover. Unfortunately NHS Talking Therapies, are it seems answerable to no one and there is no indication that they are abandoning their absurd claim of a 50% recovery rate.
The claim that 65% achieve clinically significant improvement, has a scientific aura about it for a member of the public, but with no idea as to what it means in real world terms. They might consider that as ‘77% of volunteers agreed that volunteering improved their mental health and wellbeing’, National Council for Voluntary Organisations survey 2019, this was actually a better investment. The implication of SilverCloud’s claim is that it is the use of their product that has brought about the ‘significant improvement’ but this has not been demonstrated. The said improvement could represent regression to the mean, patients presenting at their worst and becoming a bit better with time. Equally it could represent the client’s wish to please the therapist and/or to feel that they have not wasted their time. The claim of ‘significant improvement’ because of usage of the product is not evidence-based and is simply a marketing ploy.
NHS Talking Therapies have produced no evidence that its’ therapists using SilverCloud make any added difference to their clients over and above that of those who didn’t use it. But the juggernaut roles on, with SilverCloud advocated by NHS Scotland for those with long-term conditions!
Dr Mike Scott