Community-oriented primary care: A multidisciplinary community-oriented approach to primary care?

Developing more of a local public health focus, and involving local communi ties in Great Britain in health care decision-making, are key aspects of th e radically changing face of primary care. Community-oriented primary care (COPC) is an international model for innovative primary health care deliver y historically applied in developing or deprived communities, but increasin gly seen as having broader relevance for a wider range of primary care sett ings. COPC has a long history of development in deprived communities, it is still however seen as innovative. It fits the current requirements of clin ical governance and the 'Modern and Dependable NHS', but does its long hist ory also provide information about it's pitfalls? COPC is promoted as an ap proach that is applicable to community mental health problems, community ps ychologists can provide the expertise to facilitate addressing community me ntal health in COPC programmes. This paper describes the COPC model and hig hlights the relevance of the COPC philosophy and the problems of its implem entation for community psychologists in primary care. Copyright (C) 2001 Jo hn Wiley & Sons, Ltd.