SPECIALIST mental health care is being offered to people with long term physical health conditions, thanks to a new service that could reduce GP and hospital visits.

People with lifelong physical conditions are up to three times more likely to experience depression and anxiety but often fail to get treatment.

Now TalkingSpace Plus, an NHS service which already offers talking treatments and wellbeing activities, is to offer specialist support to people with chronic health conditions.

Leading the service is consultant clinical psychologist Dr Heather Salt.

She said: "For some reason there is this belief that the body and the mind are separate, when in actual fact it is the complete opposite.

"If someone has a physical ailment and it means they cannot do something or they are struggling to come to terms with what has happened to them, that has an impact on their mental health.

"If they are feeling depressed or anxious they are less likely to go out and do the course of treatment and exercise prescribed to them to get physically better and so it becomes this negative mental and physical cycle."

The service is delivered in partnership by Oxford Health NHS Foundation Trust, Oxfordshire Mind and Principal Medical Limited.

The new service for patients with long-term conditions will run alongside TalkingSpace Plus’s established service for the general public which already supports people experiencing low mood and anxiety in Oxfordshire.

A dedicated team of psychological therapists will offer talking treatments, wellbeing activities and cognitive behavioural therapy to help improve patients' mental health, which is integrated with their physical healthcare.

Dr Salt added: "People who have long term health conditions do experience anxiety and depression and they can think it’s part of the package of their longer term health condition and that it doesn’t qualify for treatment somehow but that’s not the case at all.

"TalkingSpace Plus has therapy available that you can access over the phone, there are computerised packages and one-to-one and group treatments, and it can make a big difference to a person’s overall health.

"We are going to be there right from the beginning to normalise it and make people aware of how we are able to help them.

"Our hope is that we will be able to prevent anxiety or depression from developing in these patients or catching it earlier on so we can treat it as soon as possible."

It will be available to people diagnosed with cardiac conditions, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) and chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS).

Every year TalkingSpace Plus provides support for 10,000 people in the county.

With the new programme, which is funded by NHS England and will hopefully continue to be supported by Oxfordshire Clinical Commissioning Group, Dr Salt hopes by next year they will be able to help around 12,000 people.

For more information or to get in touch with TalkingSpace Plus contact: 01865 901222 or visit the website: talkingspaceplus.org.uk.