One of our services, Mindsmatter, a talking therapy service for sufferers of anxiety and depression has launched online.
The IAPT (Increasing Access to Psychological Therapies) service helps people 16 and over in Lancashire.
It offers a range of therapeutic approaches, including computerised Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), guided self-help, wellbeing groups, and one-to-one therapy with either a psychological wellbeing practitioner, CBT therapist or counsellor.
Holly Eggboro, Long Term Conditions and Training Academy Manager at Mindsmatter, which is based at Pathways, Bamber Bridge said:
“Lockdown happened quickly and we needed to put measures in place so that we could maintain our invaluable services to our patients.
We also recognised that at a time of great uncertainty and worry, our services would be more important than ever for people struggling during lockdown.
It’s been really interesting to see how our clients have responded to more online and telephone therapy being made available.
These alternative methods of therapy delivery have given clinicians and our clients’ greater flexibility in how they access support during the pandemic. We hope that this also enables those people who may not typically access help to reach out to us. We are hoping to expand our online offer and where possible, we are offering the more traditional sessions in a way that ensures client and staff safety as a priority.”
Mindsmatter recently celebrated its latest patient experience figures which showed that more than 95 percent of its patients had confidence in their therapist and their skills and techniques, compared with the national average of 87.9 percent.
The results also showed that 94.5 percent of those surveyed felt staff listened and treated their concerns seriously, which is more than the national average of 91.9 percent.
The responses came from 164 people who were discharged from Mindsmatter between June 2019 and May 2020 who accessed the service by either referring themselves or being referred by GPs or other health professionals.
The patients were also asked if they felt involved in making choices about their treatment and care, with 84.76 percent agreeing with the statement compared with the national figure of 80.2 percent.
Almost three quarters (74.39 percent) felt the service had helped them to better understand and address their difficulties, an increase on the national figure of 72.2 percent.
Holly continued:
“From the results we are having, we know just how well this service is received, but to have this confirmed by the patients themselves is truly rewarding for all of our staff. We are really pleased with the scores we received in all categories, which reflect the hard work and determination of everyone involved in this service.”
For further information on Mindsmatter or to refer to the service, please visit the website here https://www.lscft.nhs.uk/Mindsmatter
