There is an international trend towards making mental
health services available through primary care. The World Health Organisation
(WHO) has highlighted that primary care mental health services can play a key
role in increasing access to treatments for mental health conditions.
Without effective mental health care at primary level, it
is likely that inappropriate referrals to mental health services will occur,
resulting in inefficient use of resources. The best use of both specialist and primary
mental health services occurs when an individual can get the help they need at
the lowest level of support appropriate for them. That means accessing support
through primary care in the first instance and only accessing specialist mental
health services when and for as long as necessary.
You can also download the paper here.
