Sunday 4 September 2011

Letter from Professor Andrew Samuels Chair, UKCP. United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy.


This is a copy of a letter from Professor Andrew Samuels Chair UKCP, United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy.The Letter has been sent to the Commissioners, Derbyshire County PCT and Derby City PCT. The letter has also been sent to the Chief Executive of Derbyshire Healthcare NHS Trust and to the Chair and members of Derby City Council Adult Health Overview and Scrutiny Commission.


Dear  

PSYCHOLOGICAL THERAPIES IN THE DERBYSHIRE HEALTHCARE FOUNDATION TRUST (DHFT)

You will, of course, be aware of the concern - one might say consternation - caused by the very damaging and abrupt proposals to decommission the psychodynamic psychotherapy and Group Therapy Programme within the DHFT.  Decommissioning in this manner will lead to a lack of choice for patients, the maintenance of which is a key feature of one of Andrew Lansley's 'four steps' consultation guidance. In terms of psychological services, the provision of a choice of a range of therapies is absolutely essential.

The United Kingdom Council for Psychotherapy (UKCP) is the leading national voluntary regulatory body for psychotherapy and psychotherapeutic counselling with 7,000 members. As such, we are concerned both for the welfare of patients and the livelihoods of those of our members who work in the programme.

We have noted that the usual processes of consultation and a proper decision making process do not seem to have been followed and we urge that this be attended to as a matter of urgency. To close down a nationally regarded service of longstanding amidst well-founded suggestions that proper process has been abandoned cannot be the right thing to do.

The UKCP is concerned that proper information about the efficacy and cost-effectiveness of psychodynamic psychotherapy and group therapy has not been made available. We believe that a knee-jerk reaction has taken place in which it is assumed that cognitive behavioural therapy is cheaper and more efficacious.

Psychodynamic therapies are particularly useful when the patient's psychological condition is extremely complex and her/his problems are longstanding. As a 'real' talking therapy, this way of working meets the needs that patients express in survey after survey conducted by organisations such as MIND: to be recognised at depth as individuals, to have their potential facilitated into something concrete, and to be able to address their emotional issues - often stemming from childhood - within a solid relational structure.

There is a wider economic aspect to consider. Mental health, as is generally recognised, has its economic as well as its clinical dimension. People of genuine ability whose problems are not attended to are sequestered from the workforce; this damages them personally as well as depriving society at large of their services.

UKCP feels that a public meeting or series of meetings should be called as soon as possible to discuss these questions.

This letter from us will now be widely circulated and we look forward to hearing from you.

Yours sincerely,

Professor Andrew Samuels
Chair, UKCP

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