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Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT): the impact of service changes due to COVID-19 on people with learning disabilities

Caroline Rodhouse (North Cumbria Learning Disability Community Team, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK)
Dave Dagnan (North Cumbria Learning Disability Community Team, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK)
Richard Thwaites (First Step, Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear NHS Foundation Trust, Newcastle upon Tyne, UK)
Chris Hatton (Department of Social Care and Social Work, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK)

Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities

ISSN: 2044-1282

Article publication date: 9 June 2022

Issue publication date: 24 October 2022

192

Abstract

Purpose

Primary care psychological interventions for people with common mental health problems in England are primarily delivered through Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. People with learning disabilities within IAPT have poorer key clinical outcomes than people who do not identify as having a learning disability. During the global COVID-19 pandemic remote consultations have accounted for nearly 90% of all contacts in IAPT services; this paper aims to report the effects of these on outcomes for people with learning disabilities.

Design/methodology/approach

Publicly available national data from the COVID-affected period are compared to the most recent available comparison periods that are not during the COVID pandemic. Data are presented graphically.

Findings

People with learning disabilities differ little from those with no disabilities on several key process and outcome variables, although their clinical recovery is very much lower than those without disabilities. People with learning disabilities appear to have been affected by the changes in service delivery in a similar way to those without learning disabilities.

Originality/value

Despite the shift to predominantly remote therapy delivery, outcomes for people with learning disabilities have not been differentially affected compared to those who have no recorded disability. The potential to learn what has worked and not worked in the delivery of remote interventions for people with learning disabilities is highlighted.

Keywords

Citation

Rodhouse, C., Dagnan, D., Thwaites, R. and Hatton, C. (2022), "Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT): the impact of service changes due to COVID-19 on people with learning disabilities", Advances in Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities, Vol. 16 No. 4, pp. 199-210. https://doi.org/10.1108/AMHID-01-2022-0002

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2022, Emerald Publishing Limited

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