A new service launched in Leicestershire and Rutland will reduce waiting times for psychological therapies from an average of several months to several days.

LPT, along with mental health charity Rethink and primary care organisation Assura, have joined forces to provide the new service, which offers better access to talking therapies for the 18,000 people who will use the service each year.

At present, national waiting times for talking therapies, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, can be up to 18 months. The new service, called 'Good Thinking' will mean that following referral, people with a range of mental health problems - from anxiety to schizophrenia - will be contacted within 48 hours, with face-to-face treatment staring within a couple of weeks.

Peter Caunt, Service Director says:

"The 'Good Thinking' service will dramatically reduce waiting times for talking therapies for many thousands of people with mental health problems. As the service develops people will be offered the chance to self refer or be referred through their Job Centre Plus. We hope to reach people who sometimes do not get access to talking therapies because they are less likely to go to their GP and ask for help. It will mean that people get the help they need, when they need it, where they need it."

The service is part of the government's £170 million investment in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) programme, which is designed to open up easy to access, effective mental health services for people in need. A new IAPT pilot programme for people living in eastern Leicester will also be launched later this year with the expectation that it will be available across the whole of the city about 12 months later.