GP perceptions of community-based children’s mental health services in Pennine Lancashire: a qualitative study

Autor: Alice Kate Lambert, Alison Jayne Doherty, Neil Wilson, Umesh Chauhan, Dushyanthan Mahadevan
Jazyk: angličtina
Rok vydání: 2020
Předmět:
Zdroj: BJGP Open, Vol 4, Iss 4 (2020)
Druh dokumentu: article
ISSN: 2398-3795
DOI: 10.3399/bjgpopen20X101075
Popis: Background: GP satisfaction with specialist Child & Adolescent Mental Health Services (CAMHS) is often reported as low in the UK, and internationally. Aim: To explore GP perceptions of local children’s mental health services and to understand their experiences of a novel GP-attached Primary Mental Health Worker (PMHW) service. Design & setting: Qualitative research involving GPs in Pennine Lancashire. Method: Semi-structured face-to-face interviews of GPs (n = 9) were carried out. Thematic analysis was undertaken. Results: Themes identified included: 1) The role of the GP: most GPs perceived their role to be signposting and referring patients with mental health issues to specialist services, rather than offering care directly; 2) Clarity on help available: GPs were unclear about specialist CAMHS referral criteria and alternative resources available. GPs experienced communication challenges with specialist CAMHS; 3) Getting advice and support: PMHWs enabled GPs to have informal discussions, and to seek advice about children. Some GPs felt they could recognise problems earlier and were able to access help more quickly; and 4) Development needs: some GPs felt they required increased training in supporting children with mental health problems, and identified a need for further collaboration with schools and specialist CAMHS. Conclusion: The study identified challenges that GPs face with accessing and utilising specialist CAMHS. GPs who had PMHWs based in their practices expressed increased satisfaction with these services. GP-attached PMHWs can potentially reduce the challenges faced by GPs in primary care by offering timely and accessible advice, and improving access to specialist CAMHS.
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