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Contact. Fernville
(u~eu-E82022.nhs.uk

Dr . Bhamra, Dr K Hodge, Dr R Mapara, Dr A P Shipley-Rowe, Dr J R Wright, Dr A S Richardson, Mr M W Jones

Fernville
Fernville Surgery, Midland Road, Hemel Hempstead, Herts HP2 5BL
Our ref: KHjmb 27thth July 2006
Ms Catherine Pelley
Director of Partnership Commissioning
Watford, Dacorum and Three Rivers PCT
Royalty House 10 King Street WATFORD
Herts	VVD I8 OBVV
Dear Catherine
Re: The future of practice based counselling in Dacorum

Thank you for your recent letter to me after I had written to your on behalf of Locality Forum regarding the future of counselling services in Dacorum. I was pleased to hear, as were my colleagues, that funding for counselling had been extended to the end of the financial year.

The Locality Forum discussed the issue again this week and has asked me to write back to you once more. We understand the fiscal imperatives and the national clinical issues that surround the local implementation of evidence-based psychological therapies. We are willing to work with the PCT to maximize the opportunities for enhancing practice-based counselling services including the roll out of CBT therapy.

The consensus view was this was best taken forward if you were to engage the Dacorum Counsellors' Group, who have a coherent and unified voice about these changes, and ask the help of Dr Michael Drake at Bennett's End Surgery. He has expressed a wish to help plan and influence the structure of future counselling and psychological services.

Yours sincerely,
CC: .4 Bernie Tipple, Locality Chair, Everest House Surgery Dr Michael Drake, Bennetts End Surgery

CI
Dr Keith H
On behalf of . orum GP Locality Forum