Care Programme Approach

The Care Programme Approach was the framework NHS England used to coordinate care for people with severe mental-health needs: a named care coordinator, a written care plan, and regular reviews. From 2021 it began being replaced by the Community Mental Health Framework, which keeps personalised care planning without the CPA label.

This is the NHS sense of CPA. It is unrelated to the advertising metric, the accounting credential and the banking term. Sources: the NHS overview of the Care Programme Approach and NHS England's Community Mental Health Framework▸NHS England · 2021 onward.

• People with complex or severe mental-health needs were placed "on CPA" after assessment.
• A care coordinator (often a nurse, social worker or occupational therapist) held the plan together.
• The written care plan covered treatment, crisis arrangements, housing and social support, and was reviewed regularly with the person.

NHS England's Community Mental Health Framework for Adults and Older Adults set the direction from 2021: move away from the binary on-CPA/off-CPA divide toward personalised care planning for everyone in community mental-health services. Trusts have been transitioning since, so you may still hear CPA language locally while new documentation uses the framework's terms. The practical entitlements to a care plan you understand and agreed to, a named point of contact, and reviews continue under the new approach. If you were on CPA and are unsure what applies now, ask your trust which framework your plan sits under and who your named contact is.