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Mental Health in Primary Care and Community Care Report
Created: 16/01/2025The report explores the impact of financial challenges, complex mental health support, and support in the community particularly for GPs.
The role of GPs
The Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy, published in June 2023, noted that mental health has been and always will be an essential part of general practice. Mental health issues are a common feature of consultations, and even more so in deprived communities and within a cost-of-living crisis.
The challenges experienced by practice staff in responding to the level of demand, range, and complexity of mental health presentations have been well documented. The Short-Life Working Group on Mental Health in Primary Care1 noted in their 2020 report that the lack of alternatives mean GPs are the primary clinical support for individuals with complex needs that they are not always trained to deal with.
Increased Workforce Capacity
The delivery of increased mental health and wellbeing workforce capacity in general practice, working closely with GPs, would enable more support, assessment, and treatment to be provided directly within primary care. It would enable strong links to community services, including social services, substance use, and community groups, as well as services delivered by third sector organisations which are vital for people experiencing distress because of social factors.
Increase in Neurodiverse support needs
There has also been a significant increase in neurodiverse people seeking a diagnosis and requiring support. They recognise that this creates challenges for a range of services, and how important a diagnosis can be to someone’s wellbeing. That is why the Mental Health and Wellbeing Strategy Delivery plan also identified this as a priority and committed to ‘working with education, NHS boards, the third sector and other delivery partners to strengthen support, care and treatment pathways across the lifespan for neurodiverse children, young people and adults’.
The report explores:
Click here to read the full report.