JF IAPT Mail out - Flipbook - Page 1
Ensuring your IAPT services meet their access and recovery targets
Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services have become an essential part of
the mental health landscape. With their emphasis on evidence-based therapies, routine outcome
monitoring, and high quality supervision they have set the benchmark in mental health for clarity
of purpose and strong performance management
Outlining the scale of the challenge for IAPT
Mental Health Strategies have developed a simulation
modelling-led approach to enable you to really
understand and optimise your IAPT services.
What was once a far-horizon target of ensuring that at
least 1.5m adults access care each year by 2020/21 is
now presenting significant operational challenges for
providers as they try to increase their service throughput
from around 15% up to 25%. However, commissioners
and IAPT providers across the country are often
struggling to see a way through the various challenges
presented through implementation.
Providers are looking for additional resources to meet the
required level of growth; commissioners are seeking
evidence that the best use is being made of existing
resources and that services are delivering in line with
expectation. The key challenges currently faced by IAPT
services include:
1. Access targets. As above, national policy expects
IAPT services to reach 25% of the eligible population
(based on prevalence rates) over the next five years.
This will mean major growth in almost all areas
6. Balancing treatment modalities, and managing
patients through the care pathway – to ensure best
use of limited resources, and the right mix of
flexibility and standardisation
Both commissioners and providers need to agree a
shared, robustly-evidenced development plan for
IAPT services, in which both have confidence;
ensuring a balanced approach is critical:
Delivering
IAPT
2. Waiting times. 75% of people need to enter
treatment within 6 weeks; 95% within 18 weeks.
Local targets are higher in some areas
3. Recovery. At least half of people completing
treatment are expected to be moving to recovery
4. Long term conditions. IAPT services are
increasingly expected to work with people with longterm physical health conditions, with different
relationships and care pathways
5. Recruitment and retention. Training and
developing staff – and allowing time for that within
staff timetables – is increasingly necessary as the
pool of available staff does not meet national
demand
A clear way forward for IAPT services
Mental Health Strategies have over 25 years’ experience
and are experts in providing support for strategic decision
making and service development in mental health
services.
We have developed bespoke simulation modelling
technology which has been specifically designed to
support IAPT implementation. We can make the best use
of both data and experience to ensure good decisions are
made and implemented.
We provide bespoke consultancy services to mental health providers, CCGs and other NHS organisations or agencies, helping them
deliver high quality, compassionate, effective and efficient mental health services. Find out more at www.mentalhealthservices.co.uk