A Digital Stage 0 layer: seamlessly integrated into your WorkWell or Connect2Work pathway
Stage 0 operates as pre-clinical engagement across an ICB, so referrals arrive prepared and engaged. The same infrastructure supports Talking Therapies, Mental Health & Community services, MSK, neurodevelopmental pathways, WorkWell, and appropriate acute pathways.
The NHS cannot solve today’s performance pressures solely by trying to do more of the same. We must improve how people enter care through earlier engagement, rapid triage, and stronger preparation before clinical contact. Structured digital front doors such as Stage 0 represent the kind of disciplined reform that commissioners and providers require and patients deserve."
Dame Patricia Hewitt
Former Secretary of State for Health and Social Care
Advisor & Investor at Cerina
What We Aim to Offer
Targeted WorkWell Impacts
+1,000
Additional Patients Completing CBT
5% uplift in completion across ~20,000 annual referrals
+4,500
Recovered Appointment Slots
3% reduction in DNA across ~150,000 annual appointments
500–1,000
Specialist Assessments Avoided
+250
Sustained WorkWell Participants
5% uplift in engagement across ~5,000 participants
5–10% improvement in referral appropriateness
Support the 80%
Before they reach clinical thresholds
Most people entering mental health and community pathways present with mild to moderate need. By supporting the majority earlier through structured digital assessment and regulated self-guided CBT, scarce clinical capacity is preserved for those with the highest need.
Why Partner With Us
Stop Losing One in Three Mental Health Referrals
1 in 3 patients across Talking Therapies don't complete treatment. Stage 0 intervenes before therapist time is committed, using validated measures like GAD-7 and PHQ-9 to prepare patients and set clear expectations before their first session.
Turn Missed Appointments into Recovered Clinical Time
Nationally, around 6% of outpatient appointments are missed - not through lack of intent, but lack of readiness. Stage 0 engages patients immediately after referral, reducing DNA rates by 3–5% and releasing thousands of clinical hours every year.
Protect Scarce CBT Capacity for Those Who Need It Most
High-intensity CBT routinely absorbs cases that could be managed elsewhere, while higher-severity patients wait longer. Stage 0 embeds structured triage and validated thresholds at entry, improving referral appropriateness by 10–15%, reducing assessment churn and waiting time inflation.
Strengthen WorkWell Engagement Before Drop Off
1 in 3 patients across Talking Therapies don't complete treatment. Stage 0 intervenes before therapist time is committed, using validated measures like GAD-7 and PHQ-9 to prepare patients and set clear expectations before their first session.
Give Primary Care a Safer Referral Boundary
Most Primary Care referrals into secondary services lack consistent severity scoring or eligibility checks. Stage 0 introduces validated measures before submission, reducing misdirected referrals by around 10% and protecting specialist capacity for higher-severity patients.
Single Point of Access (SPOA)
One structured digital front door for all referrals. Residents tell their story once by engaging with a conversational AI, eligibility is confirmed automatically, and every referral is validated and routed to the right service first time. No repeated forms, no inconsistent information, no administrative re-work. With real-time visibility of demand across your entire pathway.
Cerina Companion
A clinical mobile app that prepares individuals before they enter therapy or employment support. Guided conversations replace static forms, validated screening tools measure anxiety and readiness, and real-time risk detection ensures no one falls through the gap. Referrals arrive structured, coded and clinically credible.
Cerina Virtual Chat Assist
A proactive AI engagement layer that keeps people connected between referral and allocation. It surfaces practical and emotional barriers early, and uses behavioural science to reduce drop-off. It aims at measurably stronger engagement, higher programme completion, and waiting lists that convert into active participants rather than stalled cases.
Our Connected Modules
Each module works independently or together as a complete stage 0 system. Together, they prepare demand before it reaches your services - reducing DNAs, improving referral quality, and protecting capacity without replacing anything already in place.
Our Module Capabilities
Triage & Front Door Routing
Route the right patient to the right service, on first try.
Cerina applies structured eligibility logic before allocation, routing cases across mental health, MSK, WorkWell and community services based on need and thresholds. Modular by design, it integrates alongside existing front-door models — reducing mis-stepping, cutting assessment churn and creating a consistent entry standard across the ICS.
Regulated Digital CBT
Six clinically structured, interactive programmes.
Cerina delivers six self-guided CBT programmes for mild to moderate anxiety and depression — classified as a Class IIa regulated medical device. It extends therapeutic reach without expanding therapist headcount, freeing specialist capacity for higher-severity cases.
Validated Assessment at Entry
Measure severity before scarce capacity is allocated.
Cerina embeds GAD-7, PHQ-9 and DIALOG+ at the point of entry, capturing symptom severity and functional impact before any specialist time is committed. Clinicians receive structured summaries rather than free-text referrals — improving allocation accuracy and protecting assessment capacity.
Virtual Companion & Inclusivity
End silent waiting. Keep users engaged from day one.
Too many referrals lose momentum before care begins. Cerina's Virtual Agent delivers structured, behaviourally informed engagement immediately after referral - via browser, SMS or secure messaging, in multiple languages. Earlier contact reduces anxiety, sets clear expectations, and improves attendance and completion rates.
Currently Delivering for NHS Cornwall & Isles of Scilly
When I talked to the client about the app and how it complements what we're doing, she just lit up and became a different person, her whole persona changed. It 's almost as if we reached a different level, rather than just talking
and coaching. It was really positive.
Michelle C.
WorkWell Coach
There is no waiting list, you
can get help now. The fact that it's also free and you can navigate your way through it, so easily makes it an invaluable resource
Michelle H.
WorkWell Call Handle
Relaxation techniques are very important to me, and I absolutely loved the breathwork. Being able to do that in my own time and my own space was amazing. You can say exactly how you feel to the AI, which is great. I can't wait to keep using it more and more.
Lizzie
WorkWell App User