Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask Her Majesty’s Government how many people with a learning disability completed talking therapy treatment through the Improving Access to Psychological Therapies programme in 2014–15, in the light of measures implemented by NHS England to improve uptake among that group.

This information is not available in the format requested. The table below shows the number of referrals with a learning disability who finished a course of treatment in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) services, in Quarter 1 and Quarter 2 2014/15. These data are based upon a count of referrals within IAPT services, not distinct people.

Source: Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) Dataset

This Government has invested over £400 million over the course of this spending review to make a choice of psychological therapies available for people who need them in all parts of England; this includes people with a learning disability.

In the new five-year plan for mental health, Achieving Better Access to Mental Health Services by 2020, we freed up £80 million for 2015-16. This will, for the first time ever, enable the setting of access and waiting time standards in mental health services, including for people with mental health problems and learning disabilities. The standards will include:

- treatment within six weeks for 75% of people referred to the IAPT programme, with 95% of people being treated within 18 weeks; and

- treatment within two weeks for more than 50% of people experiencing a first episode of psychosis.

The IAPT programme is working with the Foundation for People with Learning Disabilities to update its Positive Practice Guide. The update is due later this year.