@Home eTherapy service for people with common mental health problems: an evaluation

Background: Ensuring rapid access to psychological interventions is a priority of mental health services. The involvement of peer workers to support the delivery of more accessible treatment options such as computerised cognitive behaviour therapy (CCBT) is recognised. Aims: To evaluate the implementation of a third sector remote CCBT @Home eTherapy service for people experiencing common mental health problems supported by individuals with lived experience. Method Supported CCBT packages with telephone support were delivered over a 30-month period. Self-complete measures identifying levels of depression, anxiety and functioning were administered at each treatment appointment. Results: Over 2000 people were referred to the @Home eTherapy service, two thirds attended an initial assessment and 53.4% of referrals assigned to CCBT completed treatment. Statistically significant improvements in anxiety, depression and functioning were found, with 61.6% of treated clients meeting recovery criteria. Conclusions: The service meets Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) key performance targets, and is comparable to other IAPT services using CCBT. Evidence for the successful implementation of such a service by a third sector organisation is provided.