Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-dh8gc Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-17T16:31:45.438Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Primary care based psychiatric clinics: observations on a one year cohort of referrals

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Stephen J Cooper ,
Andrew Gilliland ,
Sinead McGilloway ,
Michael Doherty  and
Elizabeth Cormac
Stephen J Cooper
Affiliation:
Dept. of Mental Health, The Queen's University of Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL
Andrew Gilliland
Affiliation:
Dept. of General Practice, The Queen's University of Belfast, Dunluce Health Centre, 1 Dunluce Avenue, Belfast BT9 7AW
Sinead McGilloway
Affiliation:
Dept. of Mental Health, The Queen's University of Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL
Michael Doherty
Affiliation:
Dept. of Mental Health, The Queen's University of Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL
Elizabeth Cormac
Affiliation:
Dept. of Mental Health, The Queen's University of Belfast, Whitla Medical Building, 97 Lisburn Road, Belfast BT9 7BL
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A one year cohort of referrals (n=178) to a primary care based psychiatric clinic in a large Health Centre is described. Fears that such a clinic might detract from treatment provided for psychotic patients seemed unfounded. Waiting time for assessment was short and patients were more likely to attend than at hospital based clinics. Admission rates were considerably reduced. Contact between patients and their general practitioner seems to continue at a high level even during psychiatric intervention but half of the “frequent attender” group cease contact. The pattern of attendance on follow-up suggests that many patients may receive unnecessarily long out-patient care.

The evidence to date suggests that such clinics provide a useful service but other aspects of quality of care require evaluation.

Keywords

Primary CarePsychiatric clinic
Type
Original Papers
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 9 , Issue 1 , May 1992 , pp. 13 - 16
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 1992

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

1.Carse, J, Panton, N, Watt, A. A district mental health service: the Worthing experiment. Lancet 1958; i: 39–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2.Pullen, I. Out patient psychiatry in south-west Edinburgh. In: Drucker, N, editor. Creating community mental health services in Scotland, vol 2. Edinburgh: Scottish Association for Mental Health, 1987.Google Scholar
3.Strathdee, G, Williams, P. A survey of psychiatrists in primary care: the silent growth of a new service. J R Coll Gen Pract 1984; 34: 615–618.Google ScholarPubMed
4.Pullen, IM, Yellowlees, AJ. Psychiatrists in primary care in Scotland – a silent majority. Br J Psychiatry 1988; 153: 663–666.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5.Mitchell, ARK. Psychiatrists in primary health care settings. Br J Psychiatry 1985; 147: 371–379.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6.Mitchell, ARK. Liaison psychiatry in general practice. Br J Hosp Med 1983; 30: 100–106.Google ScholarPubMed
7.Mitchell, ARK. Participating in primary care: differing styles of psychiatric liaison. Psychiatric Bull 1989; 13: 135–137.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
8.DHSS. Mental Health Statistics for England 1986. Booklet 9. London: HMSO, 1989.Google Scholar
9.Tyrer, P, Turner, R, Johnson, AL. Integrated hospital and community psychiatric services and use of inpatient beds. BMJ 1989; 299: 298–300.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
10.Ministry of Health. Report for the year 1958, Part II, On the state of the public health: annual report of the Chief Medical Officer. London: HMSO, Cmnd 871, 1959.Google Scholar
11.Lord, Taylor, Chave, S. Mental health and environment. London: Longman, 1964.Google Scholar
12.Brown, RMA, Strathdee, G, Christie-Brown, JRW, Robinson, PH. A comparison of referrals to primary-care and hospital out-patient clinics. Br J Psychiatry 1988; 153: 168–173.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
13.Carpenter, PJ, Morrow, GR, Del Gaudio, AC, Ritzler, BA. Who keeps the first outpatient appointment? Am J Psychiatry 1988; 138: 102–105.Google Scholar
14.McGlade, KJ, Bradley, T, Murphy, GJJ, Lundy, GPP. Referrals to hospital by general practitioners: a study of compliance and communication. BMJ 1988; 297: 1246–1248.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15.Zegleman, FE. Psychiatric clinics in different settings – default rates. Health Bull 1988; 46: 286–290.Google ScholarPubMed
16.O'Neill, A, Kerr, A. Non-attendance at a psychiatric day hospital new patient clinic. Ulster Med J 1991; 60: 44–48.Google Scholar
17.Tyrer, P, Seivewright, N, Wollerton, S. General practice psychiatric clinics: impact on psychiatric services. Br J Psychiatry 1984; 145: 15–19.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
18.Low, CB, Pullen, I. Psychiatric clinics in different settings: a case register study. Br J Psychiatry 1988; 153: 243–245.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
19.Tyrer, P. Psychiatric clinics in general practice: an extension of community care. Br J Psychiatry 1984; 145: 9–14.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
20.Williams, P, Balestrieri, M. Psychiatric clinics in general practice: do they reduce admissions? Br J Psychiatry 1989; 154: 67–71.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
21.Curran, SM, Pullen, IM. Audit of a psychiatric liaison service – the value of general practice casenotes. Psychiatric Bull 1990; 14: 727–729.CrossRefGoogle Scholar