Adult mental health : psychological therapies and interventions

Claire Martin, NHS Dumfries and Galloway

• Babs is an Occupational Therapist who works in an adult community mental health team in NHS Fife.  Babs covers in-patient re-habilitation, out-patient and community settings.   
• Babs completed BA training locally in NHS Fife 10 years ago and then delivered BA 1:1 and then went on to do BAG.  TFT in 2022 and has since delivered training in BA locally within Fife and has also worked in partnership with NES to deliver training nationally.   
• Babs is a strong proponent of delivering BA in groups and has seen many benefits to her patients.   
• In this video Babs describes the benefits she has observed in patients who have received behavioural activation including an increased understanding of their values. 

Over the last 10+ years we have used implementation science to successfully rollout Behavioural Activation in Scotland.  With the development of a learning programme on TURAS staff can complete pre-requisite training Behavioural Activation: The Basics | Turas | Learn, apply and attend interactive workshops, access theory for Behavioural activation, complete case studies and access all the resources required to deliver Behavioural Activation Behavioural activation treatment for depression (BATD-R) | Turas | Learn, Behavioural activation for depression (BAD) | Turas | Learn, Behavioural activation for depression in groups (BAG) | Turas | Learn, either individually or in groups.  Staff can also access coaching resources to be used in their supervision.  By accessing the resources on TURAS we can ensure fidelity to model.  

Introduction 

An Occupational Therapy team leader in NHS Lanarkshire is piloting a test of change with Primary care Occupational Therapists (PCOTs).  PCOTs are delivering Brief Behavioural Activation to patients.   Early results are showing positive impacts for patients which OTs can use to demonstrate effectiveness to key stakeholders including GPs.   

Background  

An increasing demand for early intervention with mild to moderate mental health within Primary Care Occupational Therapy in NHS Lanarkshire was identified.  The team lead had worked for many years in mental health and having delivered Behavioural Activation she had observed the positive impact for patients of receiving this intervention.     

NHS Lanarkshire has a strong track record of partnership working with NES. Many of their Occupational Therapists working in Mental Health have completed the train the trainers in Behavioural Activation workshops and deliver training locally within their board and nationally.  A plan was agreed between NHS Lanarkshire (the PTTC, team lead and local trainers) and NES (the principal educator) that the trainers would be given places on national training facilitated by Professor Carl Lejuez to allow them to re-familiarise themselves with the model increasing their confidence to go on and deliver the training locally to the PCOTs.  Local training was planned two weeks after the national training.  Local training was administered through TURAS.   

NES has continued to support this project through data collection and supporting the implementation of the test of change.   

Outcome  

Thirty-three patients experiencing low mood have been offered BATD-R across two testing localities over the past six months. 15 patients completed the intervention with 11 still in the middle of treatment.  Early findings demonstrate the effectiveness of BATD-R and positive patient feedback has been received with two patients submitted positive accounts on care opinion.  

See poster below for further information: