Recruitment hit by too few talking therapy pilots

The long-awaited pilot of talking therapies is to be fully tested in just two areas and is unlikely to involve a major recruitment of therapists.

The government scheme, expected to be announced soon, will focus on changing the approach taken by existing mental health services in service delivery, but it will bring few opportunities to hire new staff.

The first element will use the Pathways to Work model to help people with common mental health problems return to work.

The second will build on the government’s recent strategy for the health and wellbeing of working-age people by providing therapy to help people with mental health problems maintain their employment.