Why focus on Psychological Therapies?
The 2003 ONS Psychiatric Morbidity
Survey of adults living at home 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 are working 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.
Why get involved in the audit?
- Creating a national picture of
performance
By participating
in the national audit, services have helped to create a true
picture of performance across the country. This will enable
the Department of Health and NHS Wales to develop realistic
policies and targets to support service development, based on an
accurate understanding of what is happening ‘in the field’.
- Meeting national requirements
The Department of
Health has issued guidance requiring service providers to
report on their participation in the National Audit of
Psychological Therapies as part of their Quality Accounts. For
further information
click here
The Healthcare
Quality Improvement Partnership (HQIP) has stated that
‘clinicians,
and their employing Trusts, should view a well designed and
effective national audit programme as an essential tool for them to
improve services and assess performance’.
- Supporting local services
For
individual organisations and services, participating in the
national audit enables individual clinicians and teams to:
o Understand the views and experiences of those using
their service;
o Benchmark their practice and performance against
others;
o Identify areas in which they are performing well and
areas for improvement
|