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The concept of service model fidelity in Talking Therapies

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 October 2024

Paul Cromarty Open the ORCID record for Paul Cromarty [Opens in a new window]
Paul Cromarty*
Affiliation:
University of Derby, Derby, UK CBT Institute, Adelaide, Australia
*
Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

Abstract

The concept of Service Model Fidelity is considered as a parallel process to Treatment Fidelity in evidence-based psychological therapies. NHS Talking Therapies (formerly IAPT) aimed to increase access to an expanded, upskilled workforce on a national scale. This included systematic training, supervision and front-line service delivery, emphasising treatment fidelity to evidence-based interventions. A further feature of NHS Talking Therapies was modernising and restructuring of the health system that housed these trained practitioners. The term ‘service model fidelity’ (Cromarty, 2016) was coined to emphasise service modernisation aspects as a distinct entity. A definition of the latter is included. Examples of service model fidelity and of service model drift, are outlined to distinguish these from therapist drift. This links to past literature recommending changes in traditional mental health service design and emergent evidence from NHS Talking Therapies. The latter examines publicly available data identifying characteristics of service design, which appear to be predictors of enhanced clinical outcome. Challenges in modernising health systems are discussed and conclusions are made highlighting the crucial role of service model when delivering evidence-based therapies. Suggestions for further research into service configuration to improve experiences of service users are considered. This includes ongoing exploration of service design being more than a qualitative feature, and increasingly appearing as a key factor in enhanced clinical outcome.

Key learning aims

  1. (1) To identify service model fidelity as separate entity to treatment fidelity.

  2. (2) To provide a clear definition of service model fidelity.

  3. (3) To delineate therapist drift from service drift.

  4. (4) To further examine the role of service model in delivering evidence-based interventions.

Keywords

fidelityImproving Access to Psychological Therapies Programme (IAPT)NHS Talking Therapiesservice evaluationtreatment delivery preferences
Type
Service Models, Forms of Delivery and Cultural Adaptations of CBT
Information
the Cognitive Behaviour Therapist , Volume 17 , 2024 , e26
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of British Association for Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapies

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References

Further reading

Clark, D. M., Canvin, L., Green, J., Layard, R., Pilling, S., & Janecka, M. (2018). Transparency about the outcomes of mental health services (IAPT approach): an analysis of public data. The Lancet, 391, 679–686. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(17)32133-5 CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Gyani, A., Shafran, R., Layard, R., & Clark, D. M. (2013). Enhancing recovery rates: lessons from year one of IAPT. Behaviour Research and Therapy, 51, 597–606. doi: 10.1016/j.brat.2013.06.004 CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Lovell, K., & Richards, D. (2000). Multiple Access Points and Levels of Entry (MAPLE): ensuring choice, accessibility and equity for CBT services. Behavioural and Cognitive Psychotherapy, 28, 379–391.CrossRefGoogle Scholar

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