Research and development consultancy services

Tender description

The improving access to psychological therapies (IAPT) programme began in 2008 and has transformed treatment of adult anxiety disorders and depression in England. Over 900 000 people now access IAPT services each year, and the 5-year forward view for mental health committed to expanding services further, alongside improving quality. IAPT services provide evidence-based treatments for people with anxiety and depression and are characterised by three things: 1) Evidenced based psychological therapies: with the therapy delivered by fully trained and accredited practitioners, matched to the mental health problem and its intensity and duration designed to optimize outcomes. From April 2018 all clinical commissioning groups are required to offer IAPT services integrated with physical healthcare pathways. 2) Routine outcome monitoring: so that the person having therapy and the clinician offering it have up-to-date information on an individual’s progress. This supports the development of a positive and shared approach to the goals of therapy and as this data is anonymized and published this promotes transparency in service performance encouraging improvement. 3) Regular and outcomes focused supervision so practitioners are supported to continuously improve and deliver high quality care. In the tender documents.