Talking therapy drive ‘threatens long-term mental health treatment'

According to a survey of 800 NHS psychotherapists carried out by the British Psychoanalytic Council (BPC) and the UK Council for Psychotherapy, funding for mental health problems that require long-term support is being diverted into the government’s Improving Access to Psychology Therapies (IAPT) scheme, which primarily offers short-term interventions for people with anxiety and depression.?

Of the professionals surveyed, 77 per cent said outcomes for patients were worsening as a result, with increased waiting lists, delays and premature ending of treatment.?

Around half said health trusts are now hiring less experienced staff to support patients with moderate to severe mental health problems, and 39 per cent noted a decrease in qualifications among those providing psychotherapy services. ?

Biddy Youell, chair of the Association of Child Psychotherapists, said: “We are already seeing children and young people’s therapist posts cut or downgraded and replaced by professionals with less training. We are also seeing resources being redirected to shorter services, such as those provided through IAPT.”

Youell urged health trusts to ensure that they offer a broad range of services for children, young people and families, including longer-term support.?

“If this carries on then there will likely be increases in incidents of delinquency, suicide, self-harm and problems in schools,” she said. ?

Paula Lavis, policy manager at Young Minds, said that the survey’s findings are “consistent with our work on cuts to children and adolescent mental health services”.?

She added: “Young people have told us that a problem with short-term therapies is that they need to trust their therapist before they can be open with them. This takes time, so short-term therapies may not be long enough for this to take place.” ?

Family Action head of policy Rhian Beynon said the survey findings back up evidence of wider cuts to support for vulnerable families and parents with mental health problems. ?

“Already children’s centre services are being cut, on top of falling family budgets, which is putting families under stress,” she said. “Now they are also having problems accessing extra psychological support. For some that will be the final straw.”?

The survey meanwhile found that 48 per cent of professionals believe there has been a decrease in the availability of psychotherapy services in their area, while 63 per cent said psychotherapy posts were being reduced.?

BPC chair Gary Fereday said: “The government promised to expand access to talking therapies through its IAPT scheme. Funding for this was to provide additional therapy services and not replace existing ones.

“This survey shows that this is not what is happening, as many existing non-IAPT services, which are often best placed to help those in most need, are seeing posts cut and downgraded while dealing with increasingly complex cases.”?

The £400m IAPT scheme was launched as part of the government’s 2011 No Health Without Mental Health strategy.?

The government has allocated £54m until 2015 to fund Children and Young People's Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (CYP IAPT).