“A notable advantage of the platform is its citizen-facing component, enabling each visitor to establish their own login and dedicated area for ongoing support. Within this space, individuals are provided with person-centred support, including self-help guides and wellbeing action plans developed with practitioners during their appointment..”
Ciaran Barbour - Head of digital and information Systems SAMH
Overview
In October 2025, SAMH opened The Nook, Scotland’s first walk-in mental health support hub.
Dr-Julian’s digital platform supports the model by providing a digital front door, appointment booking, structured onboarding, personalised resources and ongoing support beyond the physical space.
The platform helps people access the right level of support, from tailored self-help and wellbeing tools through to appointments, practitioner support and escalation into more structured clinical pathways where needed.
The Challenge
SAMH needed a flexible digital system that could support a new model of community mental health access. The Nook was designed to provide accessible, walk-in support, but SAMH also needed a way to streamline booking, guide people into appropriate support, reduce manual administration and understand how people were engaging with the service.
Key challenges included:
- Creating a clear digital front door into The Nook
- Supporting both walk-in and booked access
- Personalising support based on individual need
- Reducing manual booking and enquiry handling
- Extending support beyond the physical hub
- Capturing useful engagement and service data
The Solution
Dr-Julian provided a digital front door and continuous support layer around The Nook. The platform enables people to access services, book appointments, complete structured onboarding and receive personalised dashboards with tailored tools, resources and self-management support.
Key solution features included:
- Visitor-facing access into services
- Appointment booking and service management
- Structured onboarding to identify support needs
- Personalised dashboards and tailored resources
- Ongoing support before and after in-person contact
- Visibility of engagement, usage and pathway activity
The Results
SAMH Connect provides a live digital front door and ongoing support layer around The Nook. The platform supports structured access, appointment booking, personalised resources and continued engagement before and after in-person contact. It also gives SAMH greater visibility of service use and engagement while reducing avoidable manual booking and enquiry handling.
Key challenges included:
Digital front door
Clear access into The Nook and wider SAMH services
Personalised support
Individual dashboards, wellbeing resources and self-management support
Joined-up care
Digital support before and after in-person contact
Service visibility
Partner Perspective
“A notable advantage of the platform is its citizen-facing component, enabling each visitor to establish their own login and dedicated area for ongoing support. Within this space, individuals are provided with person-centred support, including self-help guides and wellbeing action plans developed with practitioners during their appointment..”
Ciaran Barbour – Head of digital and information Systems SAMH
Community impact
The Nook demonstrates how community mental health services can move beyond static signposting and physical access points towards a hybrid model where digital and in-person support work together.
By combining local walk-in support with digital access, personalised resources and ongoing engagement, the model creates a more accessible, scalable and joined-up way to support people in the community.
Why this matters
The Nook demonstrates how community mental health services can move beyond static signposting and physical access points towards a hybrid model where digital and in-person support work together.
By combining local walk-in support with digital access, personalised resources and ongoing engagement, the model creates a more accessible, scalable and joined-up way to support people in the community.
See how Dr-Julian can support your NHS trust
Book a demonstration or discuss commissioning options with our team.