All GP mental health referrals must now go through the IAPT

[ninagleams]

I'm posting here because I know a psychotherapist who works at a free counselling service in Buckinghamshire. She has just had a letter from the local health service saying that all GP referrals are going to be discontinued in January 2010 and there funding is going to be revoked. Basically all referrals have to go through a service called the IAPT for the beginning of next year. This is apparently happening all over the country and is probably going to result in free counselling services being shut down which of course means part of the mental health infrastructure is going to disappear. I've been having a look around and have found a website relating some IAPT targets because apparently they do use them and also the site for Buckinghamshire. It's pretty obvious that the focus is on CBT. I'm wondering if this seems like a good move by the NHS to people here?

dont know if its the same thing but Hull use IALT (inter agency link team) for childrens mental health and it seems to have worked.
gp's, social workers, school nurses etc make a referral, then an assessment is done with the IALT within 2 weeks (or it was when i worked there) and they then signposted in the right directions. meant the high end stuff were properly referred and the lower end stuff didnt get lost in the pile so to speak.