Mind comments on publication of latest Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) data

Posted Friday 21 December 2012

Mind today responded to the latest performance figures from the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) scheme. IAPT aims to enable more people who are experiencing mental health problems to access talking treatments like Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The data is routinely collected and gives an overall picture on IAPT service delivery in England.

Paul Farmer, Chief Executive of Mind, said:

‘Talking treatments can help people recover from a mental health problem, so it’s good news to see more people being referred to the IAPT scheme. However, there remains a significant unmet need when it comes to talking treatments, with many people telling us they are still not offered the choice of psychological therapies as a treatment option. Whilst we are pleased to see overall waiting times for IAPT coming down, this is still a huge problem and we are increasingly concerned about the continued levels of regional variation. It’s clear that IAPT still has a long way to go in delivering a range of treatments in a timely fashion for everyone who needs them.

‘With the new NHS structures coming into place from 2013, increased access to talking treatments remains essential. The NHS Commissioning Board will have a duty to ensure that waiting times are brought down for IAPT services and so it is crucial the Board retains this focus and works hard to make this a reality.’

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