Stakeholder experiences of referral to treatment in IAPT services
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Early Attrition in the Referral to Treatment Pathway: Stakeholder Experiences from Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) Services
IRAS ID
243182
Contact name
Jennifer Sweetman
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of York
Duration of Study in the UK
0 years, 6 months, 18 days
Research summary
There are many people who request support for common mental health problems (CMHPs) such as anxiety and depression. Evidence-based treatments considered to be helpful include psychological (talking) therapies, and medication. In England people have the option to approach their GP or contact a local Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service for psychological support. IAPT services receive a lot of referrals from GPs and people referring themselves for therapy to cope with CMHPs, however a large proportion of people don’t attend the service for an initial assessment. Of those that do attend an assessment and are offered treatment, many do not then attend an offered treatment appointment. This study seeks to understand the referral to treatment pathway for IAPT services, specifically focusing on the experiences of a) people making referrals to an IAPT service, b) staff working in IAPT services who receive referrals and offer assessments or treatment appointments, and c) patients who have been referred to IAPT services but not attended an offered assessment appointment or an offered treatment appointment. It is hoped that by better understanding the experiences of those involved in the referral to treatment pathway, recommendations can be made to improve the current system for those people who are trying to access support.
REC name
East of England - Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
18/EE/0219
Date of REC Opinion
31 Jul 2018
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion