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The consultant's caseload: a working framework

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Leonard Fagin*
Affiliation:
North East Thames Regional Health Authority, Claybury Hospital, Woodford Bridge, Essex IG8 8BY
Doris Hollander
Affiliation:
North East Thames Regional Health Authority, Claybury Hospital, Woodford Bridge, Essex IG8 8BY
Malcolm Weller
Affiliation:
North East Thames Regional Health Authority, Claybury Hospital, Woodford Bridge, Essex IG8 8BY
*
Correspondence
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Abstract

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Consultants psychiatrists have a limited time to offer their services. Current contracts, based on population norms, do not establish limits to consultants' workload. Reorganisation of service provision, rising demands and marked social differences in different localities have brought these population norms into question. What is the desirable workload for a consultant to ensure a decent level of care to patients? A model is proposed that specifically applies to whole-time consultants within a catchment area, and those working in adult general psychiatry. It will need to be adapted for other specialities. The figures given are estimates, which will need to be audited appropriately for refinement. It is hoped that such an analysis will facilitate the process of purchasing care for specific patient groups, and be a clearer way of identifying gaps in clinical service.

Type
Original Papers
Creative Commons
Creative Common License - CCCreative Common License - BY
This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC-BY) license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted re-use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright
Copyright © Royal College of Psychiatrists, 1995

References

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Watson, J. P. (1986) Calculating a district's psychiatric manpower. Bulletin of the Royal College of Psychiatrists, 10, 334337.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
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