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Developing an Integrated Mental Health Care Service: Description of a Pilot Mental Health Consultation/Liaison Clinic in a Primary Care Centre

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Nicolas Ramperti ,
Daniel De La Harpe Golden ,
Iro Chinedu ,
Seathrun O'Casaide  and
Frank Kelly
Nicolas Ramperti*
Affiliation:
Ballyfermot Primary Care and Mental Health Centre, Ballyfermot, Dublin 10
Daniel De La Harpe Golden
Affiliation:
Dept of Psychiatry, St Luke's Hospital, Freshford Road, Kilkenny
Iro Chinedu
Affiliation:
Cavan-Monaghan Mental Health Services
Seathrun O'Casaide
Affiliation:
Kilkenny Primary Care Centre, Ayrfield Medical Practice, Granges Road, Kilkenny
Frank Kelly
Affiliation:
Carlow/Kilkenny & South Tipperary Mental Health Services, St Luke's Regional Hospital, Freshford Road, Kilkenny
*
*Correspondence Email: nicolas.ramperti@hse.ie
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Abstract

To determine if a consultation/liaison mental health clinic in primary care as proposed for Vision for Change, The Primary Care Strategy and the Department of Health is an efficient model of delivering mental health care in Ireland.

Methods: The pattern of service use and the clinical characteristics of new patients attending a pilot consultation/liaison clinic in a local primary care centre were studied.

Results: During the first 16 months of this clinic 1.2% of patients did not attend the initial assessment in the liaison clinic versus 29.75% in the regular Outpatients Department (OPD). Less than one in five (17.1%) required a follow-up review with the clinician in the consultation/liaison clinic compared to almost all patients first seen in OPD secondary care (96.6%). A small minority of patients (6.1%) needed referral to secondary care due to the complexity of their presentation.

Conclusions: A consultation/liaison mental health clinic in primary care results in an efficient use of manpower resources due to the low Did Not Attend (DNA) rates and low proportion of formal referrals to secondary care. As patients seem to favour this type of setting, over traditional outpatient departments, a move towards consultation/liaison clinics in the primary care team should be considered.

Keywords

Community mental health servicesprimary health careambulatory carereferral and consultation.
Type
Brief Report
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 29 , Issue 3 , 2012 , pp. 190 - 193
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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