Expanding NHS IAPT and CYP mental health support in COVID-19
Transforming Care
14 August 2020
By Helen
In the third phase of the NHS response to COVID-19, the NHS identifies urgent actions for mental health. This includes expanding and improving adult IAPT and CYP mental health services.
The priorities for the rest of the year, focus on accelerating the return of non-covid health services to near normal levels. Eight urgent actions to address inequalities in service provision and outcomes are outlined in a document to support implementation. The actions aim to reduce the existing health inequalities. This also includes the “particularly detrimental” effect of the pandemic for underrepresented groups. Encompassed in this are groups including: BAME, LGBT+, older people, those with learning disabilities and those with severe mental illness.
Actions relevant to mental health planning
- Develop digitally enabled care pathways. These should increase inclusion, including reviewing who is using new primary, outpatient and mental health digitally enabled care pathways.
- Support those who suffer mental ill health, as society and the NHS recover from COVID-19. Additionally, this must be underpinned by more robust data collection and monitoring.
Areas of focus in mental health planning include
- Expansion of IAPT services, recognising the “expected, significant surge in demand for IAPT services” and the relevance, in the context of COVID-19, of the specialised support IAPT can offer to those with PTSD, anxiety, depression or who have spent lengthy time in hospital. Expansion is proposed through recruiting more trainees and applying CCG baseline funding to increase staffing levels as soon as possible.
- Expansion of CYPMH services to support those affected by the significant impact of the pandemic and the closure of schools and colleges. The expansion should focus on the most vulnerable such as those with neurodivergent conditions.
While the intentions and areas of focus for the third phase of the NHS response to COVID-19 are to be commended, following through on the actions will require significant investment. On this front, there are challenges to be addressed, as highlighted in the NHS Confederation’s recent report.