7/7
#NHSTalkingTherapies is a crucial resource for many struggling with depression and anxiety, and a unique offering as an example of public mental healthcare. It's imperative that it be made more resilient to attrition.
Read here for the full piece: www.nuffieldtrust.org.uk/news-item/do...
6/7
Wasted resource at the front door needn’t be the reality - are individuals put off by the lack of treatment choice? (34% of all appointments in 2023/24 were for CBT.) Why are so many considered unsuitable? Many questions, like these, need to be answered.
5/7
Of the ~1.8 million people who sought help from #NHSTalkingTherapies in 2023/24, only 17% (approximating 300,000 people) underwent a complete course of treatment AND reliably recovered.
4/7
Looking at the data for 2023/24, the trouble starts after a referral is logged - many were considered unsuitable (~20%), many left the treatment incomplete (23%), some were not assessed at all or declined what they had been offered.
3/7
However, what hasn’t changed is the proportion of all individuals referred to the service who completed treatment. That has been roughly 38% for the past decade. So, what is happening between referral and completion?
2/7
Concrete plans to grow the service have been in the works since 2019/20, with higher targets for staffing and access year on year. And indeed, the number of referrals made to the service have increased, as have those completing a course of treatment.
#NHSTalkingTherapies, the flagship psychotherapy service offered by the NHS, was heralded as a game changer when it launched in 2008. 16 years on, I’ve done some data digging to inspect its inner workings.
@nuffieldtrust.bsky.social @healthfoundation.bsky.social
1/7 🧵
