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Integrating mental health and primary care services: a challenge for psychiatric training in Ireland

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  13 June 2014

Brenda Wright  and
Vincent Russell
Brenda Wright
Affiliation:
Cluain Mhuire Family Centre, Newtownpark Avenue, Blackrock, Co Dublin
Vincent Russell
Affiliation:
Cavan-Monaghan Mental Health Services, Department of Psychiatry, Cavan General Hospital, Cavan, Ireland
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Abstract

A Vision for Change, the report of the Expert Group on Mental Health Policy asserts as one of its key recommendations the enhancement and formalisation of links between specialist mental health services and primary care. As part of a higher training post in psychiatry a consultation-liaison service was provided by a senior registrar in three rural general practices. This paper describes the experience of this initiative from an educational perspective and discusses the broader implications for Irish psychiatric training. With an emerging emphasis on collaborative mental health care there needs to be an appreciation of the specific set of skills that psychiatry trainees must learn in order to be effective in primary care settings. The tandem development of the appropriate services and training in an Irish context will require dedicated funding and resources.

Keywords

Community psychiatrymental health servicesprimary health carefamily practicemedical education
Type
Perspectives
Information
Irish Journal of Psychological Medicine , Volume 24 , Issue 2 , June 2007 , pp. 71 - 74
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2007

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