Talking therapies to be available through self-referral from early 2018

Friday 15 December 2017

Islanders who suffer with mental health problems will soon be able to refer themselves to Jersey Talking Therapies, without having to go through their GP, as the service works on improving how people access it.

The move follows a three-month independent review during which several service users mentioned that self-referral would be helpful.

Islanders currently have to be referred through their GP to access Talking Therapies (JTT). According to Dr Cheryl Power, the Acting Director for Psychology and Talking Therapies, the cost of the consultation can sometimes put people off.

She told Express: "The independent review included two service users forums where people who have used our services were able to share their experiences. The feedback was very good, people said that once they had accessed the service it was a very helpful experience. They appreciated the quality of approach from the team, the variety of intervention, the non-stigmatized environment and our flexibility around time.

"They also mentioned points that could be improved such as the waiting times and the possibility for self-referral. We have taken this on board and we will be offering self referral from early 2018. We are also working on how to implement changes which came from ideas generated by our service users. We are actively working to improve."

The self-referral will be available through the Community and Social Services' "single front door" which will come into place next year when all services, including the JTT, will be moving accommodation to become more integrated.

Pictured: People will soon be able to access the talking therapies through self-referral.

The service has seen an increased demand each year.

Dr Power thinks this could be attributed to the recent focus on mental health issues. She said: "As more people share their story, more people feel able to access services. There is a big campaign at the moment. If you look at the Royal Family, they have been driving the agenda around reducing the stigmatization and it has an impact on people feeling more enabled to say what they are going through. I think this is very positive."

The numbers of patients referred to the JTT rose from 1,661 in 2016 to 1,771 as of the 13 December, and the waiting times for initial assessment at the JTT are still way above the service's ambitions.

For people dealing with what are described as 'low intensity' difficulties, the wait is 22 days, but it rises to 51 days for people facing more serious issues.

As for access to treatment, which includes group therapy and one-on-one intervention, the wait is between 105 to 137 days. The service would like to see 75% of people in treatment within six weeks, and Dr Power is hopeful this will be possible by the end of 2018.

This week, the JTT have introduced a new IT system that will enable them to be more efficient. Therapists will be able to send reminder texts to service users so that they don't miss their appointments. Dr Power says: "Missed appointments have a significant impact and prevent users from accessing the service or delays that access."

Pictured: Focus on mental health, which includes a campaign led by the Royal Family, has helped people feel more comfortable about their experience says Dr Cheryl Power, Acting Director of JTT.

The service, which recently saw several therapists leave, is also in the process of recruiting four new ones, which will bring the number within the team to 13. Once they start working, Dr Power is confident that it will influence the waiting times.

Looking to longer term, the JTT is exploring ways of supporting people while they are waiting to see a specialist. Dr Power explained: "We are looking into ways to offer support to people while they are on the waiting list. This could be through an offer for educational support about self-help for people who are keen to try this sort of thing. We have to be more creative to support people as they are waiting for treatment and test things as we go on. We are also looking at how the team could proactively check in to see how it is going for those people."

They will also be looking into developing ideas around digital technology and the way it can help provide support and raise awareness around mental health. Dr Power said: "We have received a lot of feedback and taken on board a lot of different ideas. Maybe we could one day have a JTT app that users could have access to whenever they need to."