Commissioners are important local leaders in the NHS, specifying how psychological therapies and other services should be delivered and promoting health and wellbeing through strong partnerships with professionals, local government, employment services, people who use services and those who support them.
The IAPT programme gives commissioners a good opportunity to collaborate with providers from all sectors and find genuinely innovative ways of meeting local people's common mental health needs and the routine collection of outcomes data ensures they can demonstrate progress quickly and clearly.
IAPT for Adults Minimum Quality Standards- As IAPT services have matured and been evaluated, a number of key characteristics have emerged which appear critical in terms of assuring quality of delivery and achieving good clinical and other outcomes. These characteristics are set out in the form of a series of standards with an accompanying rationale and suggested metric to support effective commissioning and delivery of IAPT services, and as a basis for service specifications, care pathway design and /or service audits for improving the quality of IAPT services. These are minimum standards that can be used as the foundation for implementing the choice agenda (Any Qualified Provider, AQP) in conjunction with implementation guidance at https://www.supply2health.co.uk
Online learning for GPs and other health professionals- Available via the Royal College of GPs; the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) online course equips practitioners with the knowledge and skills to conduct a patient-centred consultation for people with anxiety and depressive disorders. An enhanced understanding of effective psychological interventions and the IAPT programme will improve the availability of psychological therapies for patients.
Working with under 18 year olds: Guidance for Commissioners, IAPT service providers and those working in IAPT services- The purpose of this document is to provide guidance to those working in IAPT services, as well as commissioners and providers of services, regarding working with under 18 year olds. The need for this guidance has arisen following reports from the British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies (BABCP) that its members were being approached by IAPT services to provide training for services working with children as young as 13 at the request of commissioners.
Other Resources for Commissioners
See the IAPT workforce pages for information and guidance for commissioning IAPT training.
Long-term conditions and psychological therapies - The NHS Confederation has published `Investing in emotional and psychological wellbeing for patients with long-term conditions`, April 2012. This is a compendium which sets out some of the key roles of psychological and psychiatric interventions in the treatment of long-term physical illness and medically unexplained symptoms. Dr Hugh Griffiths, National Clinical Director for Mental Health, states in the foreword that 'the evidence set out in the compendium will support the ongoing processes of investment, integration, redesign and continual quality improvement'.
Evidence of Savings Generated - Corporate Research Final Report - Bournemouth and Poole 2010
This report provides evidence, insight and understanding into the IAPT service in Poole and its users, following the IAPT aims of "ensuring that the right service is being delivered to the right people, at the right time with the right results". Data was analysed from the IAPT outcomes dataset, relating to every IAPT service user over a 10 month period, from 1st May 2009 - 28th Feb 2010.
Commissioning Talking Therapies for 2011/12
This note supports Primary Care Trusts (PCTs) in commissioning services to meet the needs of local people who are experiencing the common mental health problems of depression and anxiety disorders.
Specifically, it supports commissioners in developing local business cases for 2011/12 that generate efficiency and cash savings of £600 to £1,500 for each patient who recovers as a result of their talking therapy treatment.
There is strong evidence that appropriate and inclusive services and care pathways for people with common mental health conditions reduce an individual's usage of NHS services leading to efficiencies and cost savings, as well as contributing to overall mental wellbeing. This approach promotes inclusive, equitable services that meet the needs of the whole community.
Increasingly, there will be room for innovative approaches in the services commissioned, along with flexibility tailored to local need and to the personal needs of individuals seeking treatment. The key focus is on the outcomes achieved, and we will be evolving a currency and tariff to enable the introduction over the next year or so of Payment by Results for talking therapies.
Download Commissioning Talking Therapies for 2011/12- Issue 3. April 2011
The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Commissioning Toolkit can help PCTs improve or establish stepped care psychological therapy services following NICE guidelines. The toolkit is structured around the commissioning cycle and is specifically linked to the World Class Commissioning competencies. It brings together a wide range of existing tools and guides and includes positive practice examples throughout.