What is the National Audit of Psychological Therapies?

The National Audit of Psychological Therapies for Anxiety and Depression aims to promote access, appropriateness, acceptability and positive outcomes of treatment for those suffering from depression and anxiety. 

It is open to all NHS-funded services and therapists providing psychological therapies for people with anxiety and depression in England and Wales. It includes adults over the age of 18 who are receiving psychological therapy services in the community. The audit aims to work with both IAPT and non-IAPT sites.  

It engages healthcare professionals in a systematic evaluation of their clinical practice against standards for best practice. Local services are able to benchmark their performance and identify where they are performing well and where there is potential to improve the quality of treatment and care they provide. Wide participation in the audit also creates an overview of the quality of care being provided nationally.

The National Audit of Psychological Therapies (NAPT) is funded by the Healthcare Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) and is an initiative of the College Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI).

The project is part of the National Clinical Audit programme and trusts are required by the Department of Health to report their participation in the audit in their Quality Account.

Why focus on Psychological Therapies?

The 2003 ONS Psychiatric Morbidity Survey of adults living at home [1] estimated that only 14% of people with mental health problems receive counselling or psychological therapies.

The London School of Economics’ Depression Report (2006) urged that psychological therapy should be made available to all people suffering from depression, chronic anxiety and schizophrenia.

In response, in 2006, the Department of Health began an on-going project to make funding available to increase the number of CBT trained therapists. The programme, Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT), aims to help Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) implement the recommendations of the NICE guidelines for people suffering with anxiety disorders and depression.

The National Audit of Psychological Therapies is working with IAPT to ensure that the audit builds on its work, and avoids need for duplicate data collection where possible.

However, not all psychological therapies currently provided by PCTs in England, and none of those provided by Local Health Boards in Wales, fall under the IAPT programme.  We will to work with both IAPT and non-IAPT services to ensure access and equity across a whole range of treatments.

References

1.  Singleton N, Lee A, Meltzer H, Lewis G (2003). Better or worse: a longitudinal study of the mental health of adults living in private households in Great Britain. London: The Stationery Office.

Key information 

Why get involved in the National Audit?

Principles underpinning our work

Our Standards

What is involved in participating in the audit?

Resources - Questionnaires, newsletters, publicity materials and weblinks

How the audit is organised

Pilot of the National Audit in 2009

Frequently Asked Questions

The NAPT team: contact us

Email: napt@cru.rcpsych.ac.uk

Royal College of Psychiatrists

Centre for Quality Improvement

4th Floor

Standon House

21 Mansell Street

London E1 8AA