Evaluating an Enhanced IAPT Service
Research type
Research Study
Full title
A cohort study evaluating whether improving links between a traditional clinical talking therapies service (IAPT) and the wider causes of people's mental health difficulties leads to improved mental health outcomes.
IRAS ID
283685
Contact name
Judi Kidger
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Bristol
Duration of Study in the UK
1 years, 2 months, 31 days
Research summary
We aim to evaluate whether improving links between a traditional clinical talking therapies (IAPT) service and the wider causes of people’s mental health difficulties leads to improved mental health outcomes. We will evaluate the previous standard IAPT provision against a new enhanced service. The enhanced service includes two new roles: 1) wellbeing navigators and 2) healthy living healthy mind support workers. These additional roles aim to provide a wider range of support to those accessing help via IAPT.
Our evaluation of this enhanced service comprises of three parts which will run concurrently:
1) An evaluation of the impact of the new service on national IAPT outcomes: improvement on measures of depression and anxiety symptoms, work and social adjustment scores and waiting time to first treatment. We will compare the enhanced service outcomes with: 1) a matched historical dataset from the previous traditional VitaMinds IAPT service and 2) a matched geographical dataset from an IAPT service in a different area of England.
2) An process evaluation of how this join up between a clinical health service and the voluntary sector and other community partners works in practice, what the barriers and facilitators are to the establishment of coordinated and resourced referral pathways between services, which additional services are accessed and by whom, and how this process can be improved.
3) An evaluation of the cost effectiveness of the new enhanced service. Specifically, we will examine what the enhanced elements of the service cost compared to the standard IAPT model, and whether this represents value for money relative to the outcomes achieved.This ethics application is for the process evaluation which will consist of a series of interviews and focus groups with VitaMinds service users and staff, as well as commissioners, GPs and voluntary and community sector staff who work closely with VitaMinds.
REC name
London - Dulwich Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
21/PR/0230
Date of REC Opinion
6 May 2021
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion