J. Bindman et al., INTEGRATION BETWEEN PRIMARY AND SECONDARY SERVICES IN THE CARE OF THESEVERELY MENTALLY-ILL - PATIENTS AND GENERAL-PRACTITIONERS VIEWS, British Journal of Psychiatry, 171, 1997, pp. 169-174
Background Communication between secondary and primary care is an impo
rtant aspect of continuity of care. We investigated communication betw
een general practitioners (GPs) and psychiatric teams about a represen
tative group of patients with severe mental illness (SMI), We also sou
ght views on GP involvement in care from the patients and their GPs. M
ethods One hundred patients with SMI were randomly selected from those
under the care of two psychiatric sector teams in inner London. The p
atients and their GPs were interviewed. Results GPs' knowledge about t
he care their patients received was limited. Most GPs perceived their
role as providing physical care and prescribing. Few patients consulte
d GPs for mental health care. GPs perceived themselves as less involve
d in the care of Black Caribbean or Black African patients. Conclusion
s Considerable discontinuities of care between secondary and primary c
are were identified. GP involvement in the care of patients with SMI a
ppears limited. Better communication is necessary if care is to be sha
red.