Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has launched a mental health online service to improve access to psychological therapies (IAPT).
The service is aimed towards people with mild to moderate symptoms of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and stress, and is clinically supported by Berkshire Healthcare which runs Talking Therapies – one of the top-performing IAPT services in the county.
It is designed by SilverCloud Health to tackle short-term referral backlogs and reduce the impact of temporary staff shortages.
Eastern Cheshire Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG) has launched a mental health online service to improve access to psychological therapies (IAPT).
The service is aimed towards people with mild to moderate symptoms of mental health problems, including depression, anxiety and stress, and is clinically supported by Berkshire Healthcare which runs Talking Therapies – one of the top-performing IAPT services in the county.
It is designed by SilverCloud Health to tackle short-term referral backlogs and reduce the impact of temporary staff shortages.
It will include an initial assessment of suitability for supported online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), clinically-validated therapeutic content across anxiety and depression and 12 weeks’ consecutive help from Berkshire’s IAPT trained supporters.
Dr Ian Hulme, CCG mental health lead and GP with Meadowside Medical Centre, Congleton, said: “We’re working hard to reduce IAPT waiting times and this online pilot service is an important part of that effort, offering immediate access to online cognitive behavioural therapy for common mental health disorders such as depression, anxiety and stress.”
Eastern Cheshire CCG is the first CCG from Cheshire and Wirral Partnership NHS Foundation Trust to go live with the online supported service, but a rollout is expected.
