New HIT to focus on psychological therapies

A new Health Integration Team (HIT) looking at the uptake of, access to and outcomes of psychological therapies has been approved by the Bristol Health Partners executive. The proportion of patients who ‘recover’ is lower in Bristol than the national average, around 30 per cent rather than the average of 50 per cent. The new team will explore how uptake can be increased, while also improving outcomes. With the recent reorganisation of Bristol’s mental health services, there is a unique opportunity to improve and do things differently.

The InPsyTe (Improvement and Innovation in Psychological Therapies in primary care) HIT will aim to increase the uptake of therapies, and will use the existing evidence base, while also undertaking new research, to inform service redesign. It will explore the effectiveness of online cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), and assess the value of this alongside more traditional therapist sessions.

The InPsyTe HIT is led by David Kessler, Consultant Senior Lecturer, and Nicola Wiles, Reader in Epidemiology, both of the University of Bristol. The sponsoring organisation for the team is Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust.

HIT Director David Kessler said: “The team is delighted that we’ve been approved as a Health Integration Team. With the reorganisation of Bristol’s mental health services, the time is right for an innovative, cross-discipline approach to psychological therapies. We hope that our work will lead to more people being referred for appropriate therapies, and will help more people complete treatment, with better outcomes for patients.”