Legal News

Mental health charity Mind says that new data on talking therapies have given an insight into how Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) are performing with regard to delivering talking therapies.

Figures from NHS England's mental health "dashboard" highlight the proportion of CCGs meeting and missing their targets for increasing access to talking therapies - latest data show that nearly six in ten CCGs (57%) are failing to meet the target for the proportion of people in their area who should be accessing talking therapies.

A total of 120 out of 209 CCGs in England missed the target for the period October-December 2016.

The annual target is currently set at 15.8% of the local population who have been identified as being able to benefit from talking therapies - the target is set to rise to 25% by the year 2021.

The data specifically focus on therapies available through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme - a scheme designed to increase accessibility of talking treatments to those identified as potentially benefiting from receiving them.

Typically, this includes people with common mental health problems such as depression and anxiety disorder.

Mind's Director of External Relations, Sophie Corlett, said:

"Talking therapies play a vitally important role for many people who have mental health problems, enabling them to get their lives back on track and preventing their problems becoming worse.

"We have seen talking therapy services set up across the country in recent years and access to services has improved - but we can't afford to let up the pace of change, as currently only around 15 per cent of people who could benefit get access.

"We have a national target of increasing this to 25 per cent by 2021, but the data from NHS England shows that nearly three in five Clinical Commissioning Groups missed the interim target set for October to December last year.

"It's important to keep up momentum and make sure all local areas are on track to meet that 25 per cent target over the coming years."

Ms Corlett added that mental health services had been "woefully under-funded for years".

"Thanks to anti-stigma campaigns and movements like Heads Together and Times to Change, there's less of a taboo when it comes to mental health - but as more people come forward and seek help, it's vital that quality timely services are in place to meet increasing demand," she said.

"There has been recent national investment - which is welcome - but we need to see that investment making a difference locally.

"No matter where you live in the country, we want to see everyone access the help they need, when they need it - for too long, people accessing mental health services have not had the same right to timely treatment that we all expect if we have a physical health problem.

"One of the recommendations to come out of the Five Year Forward View for Mental Health was to ensure that data was routinely made available to provide a clear picture of the state of mental health services.

"The government accepted these recommendations and, now that these figures are available, we are able to see exactly where in the country they are falling down and hold those responsible for their delivery - CCGs - to account."

An NHS England spokesperson said:

"The NHS now has the biggest programme for talking therapies in the world - more people are receiving mental health care than ever before, with nearly 80,000 people entering treatment each month.

"Huge strides forward have been made, but there is much more work to do to drive further improvements to ensure the right care is available across the country at the right time."

Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors

Duncan Lewis is the UK's largest provider of Legal Aid mental health services and can advise mental health patients on a wide range of issues - including access to NHS mental health services and detention under the Mental Health Act.

Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors regularly visit NHS hospitals to advise on mental health law - and are available across England and Wales at short notice for hospital and police station appointments.

In some cases, Duncan Lewis mental health solicitors may be able to advise the nearest relative or carer of a mental health patient on a range of issues, including initiating treatment reviews where appropriate.

For expert legal advice on mental health law, call the Duncan Lewis Mental Health Solicitors Helpline on 020 3114 1124.