Background

The components of care delivered by Early Intervention in Psychosis (EIP) services vary, but the impact on patient experience is unknown.

Objective

To investigate associations between components of care provided by EIP services in England and patient-reported outcomes.

Methods

2374 patients from EIP services in England were surveyed during the National Clinical Audit of Psychosis. Participants were asked about the care they received, and completed the ‘Patient Global Impressions’ scale (rating whether their mental health had improved), and ‘Friends and Family Test’ (rating whether they would recommend their service). Information about service structure was obtained from service providers. We analysed associations between outcomes and components of care using multilevel regression.

Findings

The majority of participants were likely to recommend the treatment they had received (89.8%), and felt that their mental health had improved (89.0%). Participants from services where care coordinators had larger caseloads were less likely to recommend their care. Participants were more likely to recommend their care if they had been offered cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis, family therapy or targeted interventions for carers. Participants were more likely to report that their mental health had improved if they had been offered cognitive behavioural therapy for psychosis or targeted interventions for carers.

Conclusions

Specific components of EIP care were associated with improved patient reported outcomes. Psychosocial interventions and carer support may be particularly important in optimising outcomes for patients.

Clinical Implications

These findings emphasise the need for small caseload sizes and comprehensive packages of treatment in EIP services.