Written question asked by Lynne Jones (Labour) on Monday, 30 October 2006, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 November 2006. It was answered by Baroness Winterton of Doncaster (Labour) on Wednesday, 8 November 2006 on behalf of the Department of Health.

Mental Health

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment she has made of the implications for the (a) work force and (b) training of delivering psychological therapies.

Answer: The Department launched a new programme on improving access to psychological therapies in May. The programme is working with the Care Services Improvement Partnership, academia, professional bodies and other stakeholders to assess the work force and training implications of delivering significant improvements in access to evidence-based psychological interventions. This includes defining the appropriate service models, skill mix, competencies and the required training capacity for delivering better access to high quality psychological therapy services nationally.

Secondary information