Mental Health Services
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what evaluation his department has made of the effectiveness of assessment by the NHS of the appropriateness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for patients through NHS Talking Therapies.
Answered by Preet Kaur Gill
NHS Talking Therapies provide National Institute for Health and Care Excellence recommended, evidence‑based psychological therapies, including cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT), for adults with common mental health conditions such as anxiety and depression. Treatment decisions, including the appropriateness of CBT, are assessed by trained and accredited NHS practitioners, using clinical judgement in line with national guidance.
People can access the NHS Talking Therapies service through general practice referral or self‑referral, and support is tailored to individual need, recognising the variation in severity and the complexity of common mental health conditions.
The Department and NHS England keep the performance of NHS Talking Therapies under continual review, including access, waiting times, and treatment outcomes. The service is currently meeting its waiting time standards, with 98.1% of people starting treatment within 18 weeks and 88.3% within six weeks in March 2026. Outcomes are improving, with 48.4% of people achieving reliable recovery and 68.7% reliable improvement, against medium‑term ambitions of 51% and 69% respectively.
We also continue to strengthen the evidence base for NHS Talking Therapies through ongoing evaluation activity, including independent analysis of specific service components, and will consider these findings as part of further work to improve effectiveness and patient outcomes.
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