Categories of information

Currently, collection of demographic data in psychological treatment services is often restricted to address, date of birth, age, and ethnicity. Other demographic information may appear in session notes but for the most part this information is inaccessible for quick analysis and not in any standardized format. This will need to change in line with the requirements of the National Health Service (NHS) Mental Health Minimum Data Set. Classification systems used by Service Agreements Departments to bill Health Authorities or Primary Care Trusts may not necessarily coincide with a clinical description of what treatments we give to patients. It may be necessary to consider a clinical system of classification alongside this system. A more intensive long-term psychological intervention such as psychotherapy, may be initially more costly but may result in less unnecessary utilization of primary care resources in the long-term.