A share of the action: General practitioner involvement in drug misuse treatment in Greater Manchester

This paper describes the development of shared care for drug misuse in Grea ter Manchester. Particular attention is given to Trafford, where a successf ul system has been developed involving all GPs in the district, and which p rovides direct access for GPs to a variety of support services for drug mis users, including training, rehabilitation and supported home detoxification . The Greater Manchester Shared Care Training Initiative is described. Loca l research is summarized relating to GP and patient attitudes. Unfortunatel y, there is still much resistance by GPs to involvement in treating illicit drug misuse. The authors draw on their experience of developing shared car e schemes in a number of districts, and suggest ways of overcoming resistan ce among GPs and primary care staff. Attention must be paid to the attitude s and skill base of primary care staff, the amount of support they receive and the effectiveness and enthusiasm of the specialist service. An importan t first step is to recruit at least a few local GPs as champions of shared care. With the help of appropriate training and support, and sensitive evan gelism, most GPs can be brought to realize that treatment of drug misuse is a satisfying and beneficial component of normal family practice.