New ways of helping people who suffer from depression and anxiety are to be introduced in more areas within Hertfordshire over the next 12 months.

Similar schemes are already running through some GP surgeries in Watford, St Albans, Stevenage and Letchworth.

By October 2008 the new services will have been phased in throughout Watford, Three Rivers, St Albans & Harpenden, Stevenage and all of North Herts. There are plans to extend coverage, in further phases, to include the whole of Hertfordshire by the end of 2009.

At the heart of the new services will be:
• sessions with specially-trained mental health workers (held in GPs’ surgeries)
• the use of cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) to help deal with anxiety and depression.

People with depression, anxiety, stress or sleep problems will be offered a short programme of advice and support. The range of options could include:

• a series of one-to-one sessions
• group sessions for relaxation and anxiety management
• computer-based cognitive behavioural therapy
• self-help books – from local libraries
• other self-help resources
For those in need of additional help and support, there will be therapy sessions, and telephone back-up.

Alison Munns, a GP in Stevenage, comments:

“I welcome this new service. Up to now GPs have had little to offer patients with mild-to-moderate mental ill-health, other than medication or self-help material.

“As doctors we know that the new types of psychological intervention are both effective and acceptable to patients. We have campaigned hard to have them available locally within the NHS. I expect that patients will derive great benefit from these new services, and hope that a more psychological approach will become integral to the way that we work.”

Wayland Lousley is a Community Mental Health Services Manager, and one of the multi-disciplinary team managing the project. He adds:

“This new service reflects three years of hard work by local GPs, psychologists, nurses, managers and social workers. I’m delighted that its importance is being recognised with the recently-announced extra funding, which will take NHS spending on psychological therapies in England to £170 million a year by 2010. I look forward to seeing the programme develop across Hertfordshire.”


EXTRA NEWS!:
Viewpoint has been significantly involved in the initial stages of the Primary Care team development and access to psychological therapies. If you have an interest in this area and would like to use your expertise to develop and improve the service, call Simon at the Viewpoint office on 01707 328014

Simon
Viewpoint Webteam

SOURCE: Hertfordshire Partnership NHS FoundationTrust