Information Governance
Charter House
7 Alma Street
Luton
LU1 2PJ
Email xxxx.xxx@xxx.xxx
Website: https://www.elft.nhs.uk
5th September 2022
Our reference: FOI DA4281 Paul Atkinson
By Email:
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx.xxx
Dear Paul,
I am responding to your request for information received
11th July 2022. I am sorry for the
delay in responding to your request. This has been treated as a request under the Freedom of
Information Act 2000.
I am now enclosing a response which is attached to the end of this letter. Please do not
hesitate to contact me on the contact details above if you have any further queries.
Yours sincerely,
Shuchi Joshi
Information Governance Coordinator – Information Rights
If you are dissatisfied with the Trust’s response to your FOIA request then you should contact us and we will arrange for an
internal review of this decision.
If you remain dissatisfied with the decision following our response to your complaint, you may write to the Information
Commissioner for a decision under Section 50 of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. The Information Commissioner can be
contacted at:
Information Commissioner’s Office
Wycliffe House
Water Lane
Wilmslow
Cheshire
SK9 5AF
Tel: 0303 123 1113
Web:
www.ico.org.uk
Please note that the data supplied is not allowed to be re-used and/or published without the explicit consent of
East London NHS Foundation Trust. Please contact the signatory to request permission if this is your intention
Chief Executive: Paul Calaminus
Interim Chair: Eileen Taylor
Request:
Question 1: Given that almost two thirds of all IAPT’s referrals each year never begin
a course of treatment or drop out before they finish a course of
treatment, please inform me how many of the drop out referrals are
followed up, when are they followed up and with what results.
Answer:
All of East London NHS Foundation Trust IAPT referrals where an individual
does not attend are followed up. If an individual continues not to attend their
referral will be closed after several attempts to engage with them and at that
point no longer followed up. We have set our process out below for your
information.
There are two main types of drop-out, either prior to initial appointment, or
after the initial appointment. In both cases the service has protocols in place
to maximise opportunities for re-engagement. There are also some cases
where the service user is referred on to a more appropriate service and while
this would not be considered a drop-out, it does mean that the service user
does not complete treatment.
If the service user does not respond to the service when trying to book an
initial appointment, the service makes 3 attempts to contact them by
telephone. If these are not successful, the service sends a letter by post giving
14 days for the service user to contact us prior to being discharged. The
service remains open to the service user to re-refer themselves at a later date
if their circumstances change.
If a service user does not attend scheduled appointments their allocated
therapist will attempt to make contact to re-engage them and book-in a further
appointment and would only discharge if we are unable to contact them.
Service users usually will be discharged if they do not attend 2 appointments
without giving prior notice (except where there are specific mitigating
circumstances) but the service remains open to re-referrals.
If the referral is not eligible or not suitable for IAPT, or if additional needs
become apparent that need intervention from secondary care, then service
user would be referred or advised to contact the more appropriate service.
The service makes multiple attempts to contact and re-engage service users
prior to discharging as a drop-out, but once a service user has been
discharged, we do not follow-up further. As noted above, services accept self-
referrals and any service user who disengaged is encouraged to re-refer
themselves should they wish to and feel able to re-engage in the future.
Chief Executive: Paul Calaminus
Interim Chair: Eileen Taylor
