if there was no IAPT the outcome for treatment of primary care clients would be just the same. In 2006 (before IAPT) Mullin et al examined the effects of counselling/therapy in more than 11,000 clients and concluded that between 5 and 6 clients out of every 10 met the criterion for recovery. These authors used the same criterion with regard to the reliable change index as used by IAPT, but used the CORE-OM self-report measure rather than the PHQ9/GAD7. If anything the Mullin et al (2006) results are slightly better than IAPT’s claimed 50% recovery.
Economists evaluate the worth of a service by comparing it with its non-existence (the appropriate counterfactual), the Mullin et al (2006) study suggests that at the very least there is no added benefit to IAPT.
Thanks to Barry McInnes for alerting me to the Mullin et al (2006) study
https://www.dropbox.com/s/8a4qv5r13rotkyy/Appropriate%20Counterfactual%20Mullin%202006.pdf?dl=0
Clinical Commissioning groups need to be made aware of this. If psychological therapists were employed by the GP practice there would be obvious accountability to the GPs. At present accountability is solely to a QUANGO with its’ own agenda. It is a scandal that the National Audit Office has not published the results of its enquiry into IAPT. Perhaps a collusion of Quangos.
Dr Mike Scott