Developing the mental health workforce capacity in primary care: implementing the role of graduate primary care mental health workers in England
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1108/17556228200700006 |
| Published date | 01 June 2007 |
| Date | 01 June 2007 |
| Pages | 42-52 |
| Author | David Rushforth,Jit Patel,Alison James,Siobhan Chadwick |
| Subject Matter | Health & social care |
42
Developing the mental health workforce
capacity in primary care: implementing
the role of graduate primary care mental
health workers in England
Abstract
The scale of current demand on primary care services
from people seeking help with common mental
health problems places enormous pressure on the
existing front line workers in general practice. The
paucity of training opportunities and competing
pressures to deliver improved services across a range
of general practice targets remains a major challenge
for primary care professionals. The impact of
government policy,to improve both access to and
choice of treatments, has raised public expectations.
The commissioning of the graduate workforce,
the graduate worker in primary care mental health
(GWPCMH), commenced in 2002, in response to the
publication of target numbers detailed in the
Priorities and Planning Framework, (DoH, 2002). It
signalled a determination to expand the workforce
provision and improve the quality of care for service
users with common mental health problems.
This paper examines the scale of common mental
health problems, the policy response and the
commissioning process. Particular attention is given
to examining the barriers that have been shown to
affect implementation, identifying the key influencers
and the resources required to train these workers.
Key words
graduate primary care mental health worker;
mental health policy in primarycare; commissioning
mental health training
Introduction
The burden of common mental health problems has
grown in the past decade. For example, depression is
projected to be the second most common cause of
disability,after heart disease, by 2020 (Murray & Lopez,
1996). In the United Kingdom, estimates based on returns
from general health questionnaires estimate that one in
four people visiting doctors’ surgeries have a mental
health problem (Goldberg & Huxley, 1992). The demands
on primarycare services are onerous, with 90% of all
patients with mental health problems seeking access to
primarycare for treatment (DoH, 1999). Mental health
problems are the second most common reason for
consulting a general practitioner (McCormick et al,1995)
and in 30% of GP consultations, mental health problems
are identified as the main issue (Kendrick et al,1994).
The readiness of primary care workers
to address mental health needs
While many common mental health problems are minor
and transitory, primary health care professionals have
traditionally faced considerable difficulty in detecting
commonly presenting health problems, such as
depression. Fewer than 35% of general practitioners have
undertaken any staff development education relevant to
primary mental health (Kerwick et al,1997).
There is also some evidence that other primary care
workers may not always deliver high standards of care for
people with mental health problems. Practice nurses
encounter particular difficulties and miss up to 77% of
David Rushforth, Principal Lecturer, Centre for Clinical and Academic Workforce Innovation, University of Lincoln
Jit Patel, Business Manager, Centre for Clinical and Academic Workforce Innovation, University of Lincoln
Alison James, Workforce Specialist, NIMHE National Workforce Programme, Care Services Improvement
Partnership (CSIP)
Siobhan Chadwick, Workforce Specialist, NIMHE National Workforce Programme, Care Services Improvement
Partnership (CSIP)
The Journal of Mental Health Workforce Development Volume 2 Issue 1 June 2007 © Pavilion Journals (Brighton) Ltd
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