Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Commissioning Toolkit

The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme has one principal aim - to help PCTs implement NICE Guidelines for people suffering from depression and anxiety disorders. The Government is committed to improving access to psychological therapies and announced additional funding to increase services over the next three years. This Commissioning Toolkit is designed to help PCTs improve or establish stepped care psychological therapies following NICE guidelines. The toolkit is structured around the commissioning cycle and is specifically linked to the World Class Commissioning competencies. It brings together a wide range of existing tools and guides and includes positive practice examples throughout.

(Published April 2008, 48 pages)

New NICE Commissioning guides: Cognitive behavioural therapy and Faecal continence service

This Faecal continence service commissioning guide provides support for the local implementation of NICE clinical guidelines through commissioning, and is a resource to help health professionals in England to commission an effective faecal continence service for the management of faecal incontinence (FI) in adults.

This CBT commissioning guide provides support for the local implementation of NICE clinical guidelines through commissioning, and is a resource to help health professionals in England to commission appropriate levels of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) for the treatment of depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and anxiety in primary care.

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies implementation plan

This document provides SHAs, PCTs, training providers and service providers with an overview of what is needed to deliver the implementation of IAPT. The additional funding from the Comprehensive Spending Review 2007 will pay for the major training programme that provides the necessary number of suitably trained therapists and enables progressive expansion of NICE-compliant local Psychological Therapies services.

(Published February 2008, 32 pages)

Improving access to psychological therapies: specification for the commissioner-led pathfinder programme

The Department of Health document: Specification of the provision of psychological therapies by commissioner-led pilot sites. Organisations are invited to tender for participation in pathfinder sites based on the specification and demonstrate how and when they will meet the specifications contained within the document.

(Published May 2007)

Commissioning a brighter future: improving access to psychological therapies - positive practice guide

Everyone in society has the right to make a difference within their local community, but some can be restricted by their mental health problems. This document, by CSIP Choice and Access Team, describes services that provide everyone with depression and anxiety disorders with access to the right treatment. It also sets out the learning so far from the demonstration sites. It is intended to be used to inform the development of a further 10 Pathfinder sites. Other commissioners who wish to review their current services and consider improvements to their services can also use it.

(Published May 2007, 32 pages)