NHS Talking Therapies for Anxiety and Depression (formally known as Improving Access to Psychological Therapies)

What are NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services?

NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services are characterised by three key principles:

1. All psychological therapies offered are evidence-based and delivered at the appropriate dose: where NICE recommended therapies are matched to the mental health problem, and the intensity and duration of delivery is designed to optimise clinical outcomes.
2. All within the clinical workforce are appropriately trained and supervised: high-quality care is provided by clinicians who are trained to an agreed level of competence and accredited in the specific therapies they deliver, and they receive weekly outcomes focused supervision from senior clinical practitioners with the relevant competences to support continual improvement.
3. Routine outcome monitoring via standardised measures is used on a session-by-session basis, so that the person having therapy and the clinician offering it have up-to-date information on the person’s progress. The outcomes of all NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services are published so that the sector can learn from variation in outcomes and public transparency about the benefits and limitations of the services is maintained. This helps guide the course of each person’s treatment and provides a resource for service improvement, transparency, and public accountability.

Services are delivered using a stepped-care model, which works according to the principle that people should be offered the least intrusive intervention appropriate for their needs first.

For more information on how the services work, please see the NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression manual.

Who are NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services for?

NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services provide NICE recommended psychological interventions for adults and older adults with anxiety disorders and/or depression. This can be standalone or in the context of a long term physical health condition where this can be managed effectively in a uni-professional service. Evidence-based therapies are delivered by trained clinicians, with or without concurrent pharmacological treatment.

NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services provide treatment for people with the following common mental health problems:

• agoraphobia
• body dysmorphic disorder (BDD)
• depression
• generalised anxiety disorder
• health anxiety (hypochondriasis)
• mixed depression and anxiety (the term for sub-syndromal depression and anxiety, rather than both depression and anxiety)
• obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)
• panic disorder
• Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
• social anxiety disorder
• specific phobias (such as heights, flying, spiders etc.).

In addition to evidence-based talking therapies for the common mental health problems listed above, NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services also provide employment advice in many areas of England, to support people to reach their employment goals.

Aligned with the Long Term Plan and the Advancing mental health equalities strategy, NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services are working to reduce health inequalities, ensuring services meet the needs of all in the population that they serve. Our work on advancing equalities focuses on improving access, outcomes and experiences for specific populations and under-represented groups.

How are NHS Talking Therapies, for anxiety and depression services accessed?

Referral pathways have been specifically developed to promote access and equality. They include:

1. self-referral into every service (find an NHS psychological therapies service – www.nhs.uk)
2. community or voluntary service referral
3. primary care referral
4. secondary care referral (including both mental health and physical health care services).