IAPT is alive and well

The government says the training of 3,600 new therapists to increase the availability of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is on track, and recent reports in a national paper saying it was faltering are completely wrong.

The Observer ran a story in early October headlined 'Flagship mental health scheme faces cutbacks', saying the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, set up to treat 900,000 people in three years, is unlikely to meet its targets and only 400 of the therapists had been trained so far.

Investigations by One in Four suggest this is not the case. The Department of Health has told us that The Observer was "completely misinformed", the recovery rates for those completing treatment are in line with expectations and the 900,000 treatments target will be achieved. It says IAPT's "success has been proven" and "its future is assured." And mental health trusts we have spoken to say IAPT is working well for them.

Care services minister, Phil Hope, says in the first nine months of the programme 73,000 people were treated and the funding will be "mainstreamed so that these funds are transferred in the normal way in which resources are allocated within the NHS." The NHS Stressline, which was established as part of IAPT, to help those experiencing financial stress is averaging 330 calls per month, not 25, as claimed in The Observer .

Jon Willows, psychological therapies lead at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, is very proud of the service now in place in Brighton and Hove: "It's an excellent service but there's a lot more potential in it yet."

He says the main challenges to establishing the programme are getting the information out and getting used to a service that is rapid access. IAPT is meant to support people in work and those returning to work, make sure effective treatments are available and reduce waiting lists. It was set up in response to guidelines set out by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE). NICE recommends that both psychological therapies and medication can be beneficial for people in different circumstances and has found CBT to be highly effective as a treatment for a range of psychological disorders.

Simon Lawton-Smith, head of policy for the Mental Health Foundation says: "There is much to be welcomed in these guidelines, especially with the recession creating extra pressures and anxieties for millions of people across the UK. But a real commitment will be needed by all concerned to make sure NICE's recommendations reach the frontline.

For example, talking therapies such as CBT have been recommended by NICE for many years but their availability is still limited in many areas."

There is overwhelming demand for people to have access to talking therapies, with people currently waiting up to two years for CBT. Professor Lord Richard Layard, has claimed in a report that after fewer than 16 CBT sessions, at least half of people with depression or clinical anxiety will see significant improvement in their mental health

Roya Ireland

This news story appears in One in Four issue 7. For information about purchasing a bulk subscription for your group or organisation or buying an individual copy please see this page.

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