The effectiveness of remote therapy in two London IAPT services

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic increased population levels of depression and anxiety, and infection control measures obliged services to provide psychological therapies remotely. Evidence for the routine provision of psychological therapy via telephone and video-conferencing is limited. This study compared therapy outcomes for 5360 clients in two London Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) services before and after homeworking produced a compete shift to remotely delivered therapy. Despite the psychological impacts of pandemic restrictions, and the use of a novel therapy modality in video-conferencing, recovery rates and net score change improved in both services, significantly in one. There was no significant worsening of outcomes for any demographic group or presenting disorder. The findings suggest that for those able to access it, therapy provided by telephone and video is a clinically effective option for IAPT services. Key learning aims (1) To assess the clinical effectiveness of delivering IAPT therapies remotely. (2) To gain insight into the impacts of remote therapy on different client groups, including ethnicity, gender, age and presenting problem. (3) To assess the impact of remote therapy on access to IAPT services.