IAPT Typed Talk Service

To provide IAPT evidence-based psychological interventions for patients who may encounter a range of barriers to accessing traditional services or who may prefer therapy via typed talk. To offer more choice and to further support ongoing work to keep waiting times as low as possible for the people of Sheffield accessing IAPT interventions<br/>Sheffield IAPT currently offer face to face, video and phone consultations within office hours. Patients need to be able to access CBT outside of traditional delivery routes and methods.<br/>We are looking for a provider who can offer typed IAPT compliant interventions with appropriate IAPT compliant supervision as an alternative delivery mode for patients, to increase the volume of patients accessing IAPT services and to provide further choice of how patients receive their treatment. <br/>We would also like to have the option to activate with the provider the possibility for patients to have a direct referral route into assessment by a psychological wellbeing practitioner and then enter treatment as appropriate with a psychological wellbeing practitioner and/or cognitive behavioural psychotherapist as clinically appropriate. Assessment and treatment would be via typed therapy, with IAPT compliant supervision. <br/>Large volumes of patients access the IAPT service and need to enter therapeutic treatment within short nationally and locally agreed timeframes. The digital provider will increase the volume of patients to be seen and within target timescales and offer typed therapy as an alternative medium for therapy that the Sheffield IAPT service currently offers.<br/>Across Sheffield IAPT there are considerable pressures to deliver appropriate care to patients in the context of increasing national IAPT access targets and maintaining the standards for waiting times and recovery. These pressures include:<br/>Therapist capacity, availability, and facilities. <br/>Patient demand across whole of the Sheffield<br/>Demands for service access outside core clinical hours.<br/>Provision of out of hours treatment.<br/>The authority is looking to contract for an initial 12 months with an option to extend by 12 months plus 12 months.