Practitioner perspectives on implementing a quality improvement intervention for telephone-based therapy in NHS...

Area of Science:

• Health Services Research
• Psychological Interventions
• Quality Improvement

Background:

• Process evaluation of a multilevel quality improvement intervention for NHS Talking Therapies services.
• Focus on enhancing telephone-delivered psychological interventions for anxiety and depression.
• Explores professional perspectives on implementation challenges and lessons learned.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore professional perspectives on implementing a quality improvement intervention in NHS Talking Therapies.
• To identify challenges and lessons learned during the implementation of telephone-delivered psychological interventions.
• To understand factors influencing the successful uptake and sustainability of interventions.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative semi-structured interviews with 28 professionals across nine NHS Talking Therapies services.
• Utilized the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research (CFIR) and Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) for data collection and analysis.
• Employed template analysis for a structured yet flexible examination of implementation factors.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: perceived intervention value, implementation climate, need for clarity and leadership, and planning for continuous improvement.
• Supportive leadership, adequate time, and collaborative feedback facilitated implementation and co-creation of improvement plans.
• Limited changes were implemented and sustained over time, highlighting sustainability challenges.

Conclusions:

• Successful implementation and sustainability hinge on active leadership, sufficient resources, and shared understanding of work processes.
• Collective recognition of intervention value and clear role definition are vital for national implementation in Talking Therapies.
• The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated digital adoption but also presented contextual challenges impacting implementation.