Depressive Illnesses: Health Services
Health
Jim Cunningham (PPS (Mr Mike O'Brien, Minister of State), Department for Work and Pensions; Coventry South, Labour)
To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent steps the Government has taken to improve treatment for people with depression.
Ivan Lewis (Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Care Services), Department of Health; Bury South, Labour)
The Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Programme seeks to deliver improved access to psychological therapies for people who require the help of mental health services for mild to moderate depression. It also responds to service user's requests for more personalised services based around their individuals needs.
It will test the effectiveness of providing increases in evidence based psychological therapy services to people with 'common' mental health problems such as depression and anxiety, in providing improvements in health, well-being and in maintaining people or returning people to employment and community participation.
The Government announced significant funding for the programme to create new local psychological therapy services around the country on