Closed petition Commission an independent review of IAPT services

Closed on 6 April 2023

The Government should commission an independent body to evaluate efficacy of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services. This would provide better understanding of the efficacy of these services.

In 2011, the IAPT National Team reported an average recovery rate of 43%. However, independent studies suggest the figure was lower, as those not completing treatment were not included in measure. Instead, perhaps only around 23% recovered. Those labelled recovered may also be borderline cases rather than achieving substantially improved quality of life. Figures for 2011-12 show the Government’s targeted 50% recovery rate being missed by most IAPT services. We believe an independent review is needed into IAPT interventions, to explore their efficacy more fully.