Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT)

Your local IAPT services explained 

One in four people will experience depression or anxiety at some point of their lives. Help is available for people whose daily lives are affected.

IAPT services are psychological therapy services tailored to people’s needs and include talking therapies, group approaches, couples therapy and self-help support for people who experience anxiety and depression.

Will I have to pay for IAPT Talking Therapies? 

No. IAPT services are free for people to access. Derby and Derbyshire CCG provides the funding for people to access this support.

How do I choose an IAPT provider that’s right for me? 

There are currently four IAPT providers in Derbyshire accepting new referrals. People who are registered with a Derbyshire GP practice can choose from any of these services.

Referrals will be accepted from people aged over 18 years old, although people aged between 16 and 18 will be accepted if they are assessed as benefiting from the service.

All providers offer the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) recommended therapies and approaches for common mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.

You might choose the provider closest to your home, workplace or family. Alternatively, you may choose the service with the shortest waiting times, the widest choice of types of treatment or the highest recovery or reliable improvement scores.

What are recovery and reliable improvement scores? 

All patients who access the service are asked to complete at least two brief questionnaires at every session. The results of the questionnaires not only let you know if you are improving but also help rate the quality of services patients are receiving.

The target is that at least 50%of people using the service achieve full recovery according to the results of the questionnaires. We call these the “recovery scores”. If the recovery score is 50% or over then this means that more than half of the patients they see fully recover so a high percentage score is very good.

Another way of rating the quality of the service is the reliable improvement score which is the percentage of people who experience a significant improvement in their symptoms.  The target for reliable improvement is 65%. If the reliable improvement rate is 65% or over then it means that more than 65% of patients experience a significant improvement in their symptoms.

How long will I have to wait? 

Waiting times vary. This can be for a number of reasons including waiting longer…

• …for the different types of therapy that the services offer
• …if you want to be seen on a particular day or time
• …if there is a particular location where you wish to be seen.

The target is that all patients should be seen for a first appointment –‘an assessment appointment’ – within 6 weeks of the provider receiving your referral. This is counted from the day you contacted the service or the day the service received the GP referral.

The assessment appointment is where the therapist decides with you if you need to be seen for more sessions – called treatment sessions.

In some services you may need to wait again for a number of weeks until an appointment becomes available for treatment to take place. In others there is only a minimal waiting time between the initial assessment session and when treatment starts. They will also be able to estimate the waiting time between your first and second appointment. 

How do I access a local IAPT service? 

There are two ways to be referred:

• Self-referral: where you access the service directly – usually by telephone, referral pack (with information about the service which may have been given to you by your GP) or online
• GP referral: where your GP refers you to the service following a consultation

If the referral is not accepted, you and your GP will be informed, or you may be referred to an alternative, more appropriate service.

If your referral is accepted, the provider will contact you to arrange an initial assessment.

Where can I get more urgent help? 

A new Mental health support line has been set up by Derbyshire Healthcare Foundation Trust (DHcFT) for people of all ages in Derbyshire who may be experiencing increased mental health needs during the COVID -19 pandemic. Visit the DHcFT website for further details or telephone Freephone 0800 028 0077 between 9am and midnight (7 days per week). 

The Mental health support line can also be used in the event of a crisis, where you will be directed to the most appropriate specialist support. You can also find further information about support in a crisis.