10.01.14
‘Still much to do’ on talking therapies
Mental health should be treated on a par with physical health, the government has reiterated in its response to the ‘We Still Need to Talk’ campaign.
The report was compiled by a range of mental health charities, providers and professional organisations, calling for the NHS to offer a range of psychological therapies within 28 days of a patient requesting a referral.
The campaign’s research showed that one in ten people are waiting over a year for these therapies, with over half waiting for more than three months. When patients were offered therapy, almost three in five were not offered a choice of services.
The report stated: “Accessing the right treatment at the right time can mean recovering well from a mental health problem. Timely access to good quality psychological therapy provision is essential and although the Government has made good progress with its Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, there is still much to do before people with mental health problems receive the crucial help and support they need.”
The DH stated: “The department is keen to make sure mental health is treated equally with physical health, and this means ensuring that people do not experience excessively long waits for treatment.
“Treating mental and physical health conditions in a coordinated way is essential to supporting recovery. Our aim is to improve the numbers of people who can access help and reduce waiting times across mental health services.”
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