School bosses at academies in Kent are offering stressed teachers, suffering from anxiety and depression, electric shock therapy to combat their symptoms. The £549 devices used to conduct the treatment are being trialled on 120 patients at the Nottinghamshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust to see if it’s financially viable to offer it to all NHS patients.
Before rolling out the treatment, Leigh Academies Trust ran a pilot scheme, whereby 21 staff used the electrotherapy device for between 20 and 60 minutes a day, over a four-week period, and found the treatment to have a positive impact on symptoms of anxiety, depression and sleep disorder.
Based on the results, Leigh Academies Trust has started using the treatment across 15 schools, including primary, secondary and a special needs school.