It really is time to talk about IAPT

Sometimes a problem shared is not a problem halved. When you really ask people what they think about something, and really listen to what they say, things can get dark and dirty. And never more the case than if you ask people about the UK’s largest mental health service, Increased Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT).  Tomorrow turns out to be a day for talking about IAPT. Really talking about it rather than rolling out another Royal or playing the neurolinguistic game of positivity ping pong. There will be a number of discussions tomorrow 13 November on BBC Radio 5 Live and BBC Radio 4 about worker and user experiences of IAPT. You can engage with the debate by going to the links below.  The conversation begins on BBC Radio 5 Live in the early hours tomorrow, and will include a discussion on the Emma Barnett Show at 10am. Also tomorrow BBC Radio 4’s You and Yours will be looking into IAPT - the show goes out live at 12.18-12.57 including Surviving Work, well me, talking about our current IAPT survey and thinking about whether its possible to reclaim the mental health turf and establish a genuinely decent model of care.  This is not a one trick pony kind of a discussion. It’s complex and attempts to walk the thin line between protecting decent therapy and making sure we’re not defending the indefensible. From the gaming of data to the heroic efforts of counsellors tucked away in the IAPT system and the many political and financial interests involved. It’s a story of performance data and the impact of performance management on the people delivering IAPT.  It’s about unpacking the data asking why 71% of people working in the service reported burnout, and 67% live with depression or anxiety. Here’s the information you need to get involved: BBC Radio 5 Live  https://www.bbc.co.uk/5liveThe Emma Barnett Show https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000b5wkSMS: 85058Telephone: 08085909693Useful Twitter contacts: @EmmaBarnett @cave_rob @BBC5Live BBC Radio 4 Live https://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4You & Yours https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006qps9Useful Twitter contacts: @BBCRadio4 #youandyours @cave_rob  Tomorrow the Labour Party announces its health strategy. Let them know what you think about IAPT and send your links and thoughts to:@labour_MH@jonAshworth@johnmcdonnellMP@disabilityLab@jeremycorbyn  And here are some reliably vocal folks who you might find interesting to follow on the day:@UK_Counsellors@PCSRuk@MarkOneinFour@Glennademeter@aclientfirst@clareslaney@alliance4CP@MHResist@NSUNnews@Mental_Elf@DrTonyOSullivan@pcu_union@Paulananke@IanBFAWU@Skourkos1@davidamunday@keepnhspublic@NHSCampaigns