Abstract

The views of general practitioners (GPs) on the priorities for a new old age psychiatry service were obtained. Most GPs identified dementia patients with behavioural or psychiatric disturbance as being the greatest priority for an old age psychiatry service. There was less consensus on the priorities for delivery of the service, but hospital-based services such as in-patient and day hospital facilities remain high on the GPs' priority list. There was a widely-based desire for results of assessments to be communicated by telephone, followed later by letter. These findings have been taken into account in the development of our new service.

Highlights

  • There was a widely-based desire for results of assessments to be communicated by telephone, followed later by letter

  • The institution of the purchaser/provider system in the UK emphasises the importance of old age psychiatry services being sensitive to the views of general practitioners (GPs) (Banerjee et al 1993)

  • Old age psychiatry services obviously cannot take over all the elderly with mental health problems in the community and must work in conjunction with GPs to prioritise the available resources. This is of particular rele vance in the development of our new old age psychiatry service in south-east Dublin with its large catchment area population of 29 000 people over 65 years and a large proportion of over 75s

Read more

Summary

Introduction

There was a widely-based desire for results of assessments to be communicated by telephone, followed later by letter. Old age psychiatry services obviously cannot take over all the elderly with mental health problems in the community and must work in conjunction with GPs to prioritise the available resources.

Results
Conclusion
Full Text

Published Version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.