Built for the Gaps: Why Structured Connection Belongs in Every Wellbeing Strategy

In the rush to modernise workplace and public wellbeing offers, we’ve embraced platforms, portals, apps, and helplines. And rightly so. Technology has enabled services to scale, data to flow, and support to reach further than ever before. 

But we’ve missed something. 

Connection. Human, structured, preventative connection. 

Despite all the dashboards and click-throughs, many employees, carers, and older adults still fall through the cracks. They’re not in crisis, so they don’t activate EAPs. They’re not clinically unwell, so they don’t meet thresholds for statutory care. And they’re often too proud, busy, or exhausted to ask for help. 

This is where Sacana lives - not in competition with other services, but between them. 

The Problem with ‘Available’ Doesn’t Always Mean ‘Accessible’ 

From mental health apps to digital wellbeing hubs, the ecosystem has grown rapidly. But availability doesn’t guarantee engagement. 

Data from Deloitte (2022) shows that only 5% of employees use their organisation’s EAP. Among carers, uptake is even lower. Why? Because these services often feel reactive, clinical, or overly formal, particularly for people navigating complex lives behind the scenes. 

In the public sector, this challenge is mirrored. Many councils and NHS Boards have excellent local services. But those services are threshold-based, under strain, or fragmented across multiple providers, making it harder for individuals to engage early. 

Sacana is different. We’re not an app. We’re not therapy. We don’t require a crisis or a referral. We offer real-time video calls with trained, non-clinical Matrons, structured conversation, designed to prevent escalation, not respond to it. 

We’re Not Replacing Support. We’re Completing It. 

Sacana is built as a complement, not a competitor. 

In corporate settings, we sit alongside existing wellbeing platforms and Employee Assistance Programmes, offering a preventative, human-led option for employees who might never engage with reactive support. These are often individuals who carry the weight of caring responsibilities or quiet loneliness, without ever disclosing it. 

In the public sector, Sacana is designed to align with strategic goals around early intervention, prevention, and digital inclusion. While we are not currently embedded within NHS or local authority services, our model has been shaped by an understanding of where unmet need persists, particularly between primary care and social care, and among individuals who do not meet thresholds for clinical support but still face emotional risk. 

This is where we see the opportunity to contribute. Not by duplicating what’s already in place but by bridging the quiet, often invisible space between independence and escalation. 

A Connection Layer That Bridges Silence and Service 

The idea behind Sacana is simple: if we connect people early, we can keep them well longer. And we can reduce the pressure elsewhere. 

Here’s where we’ve seen the greatest fit: 

• For employees: a structured, stigma-free offer that supports both the carer and the cared-for. 

• For local government: a scalable support layer that tackles isolation and prevents premature care escalation. 

• For NHS Boards: a preventative service that delays unnecessary GP appointments, prescribing, and admissions. 

We are not replacing the clinical, the digital, or the therapeutic. We’re bridging the space before those things are needed. 

Built for Scale. Delivered with Heart. 

Every Sacana conversation is real-time, human-led, and professionally moderated. Our Matrons are trained in safeguarding, structure, and social support, not to fix, but to connect. They’re there to listen with purpose, and to provide emotional continuity that so many people lack. 

We’re also fully system-ready: 

Plug-and-play for HR teams - no integration needed 

ISO 27001 & GDPR compliant - enterprise-grade privacy 

Multilingual and inclusive - built for diverse workplaces and communities 

Public sector ready - compliant with Scottish Government frameworks, NHS standards, and local authority procurement protocols 

Why This Matters, Right Now 

In both the corporate and public sectors, the economic and social cost of disconnection is rising. 

• Loneliness increases the risk of early death by 26% (Holt-Lunstad et al., 2015). 

• 38% of GP appointments are for non-medical issues (British Red Cross, 2016). 

• £2.5 billion in UK workforce costs are attributed to unsupported carers annually (CEBR & Carers UK, 2019). 

Sacana helps reduce those numbers, not by replacing services, but by catching people before they fall. 

Conclusion: Connection isn’t Extra. It’s Essential. 

We’re not here to sell a new platform. We’re here to remind employers, policymakers, and system leaders that social connection is preventative infrastructure. Just as vital as digital access or clinical support and too often overlooked. 

In a world increasingly shaped by automation and thresholds, structured human interaction has never been more necessary. 

Sacana is proud to bring that connection to the spaces in between. 

Talk. Connect. Thrive. 

Get in touch at enquiries@sacana.com