The Worcester development project: general practitioner satisfaction with a new community psychiatric service

Abstract

General practitioners in the Worcester development project area were interviewed about their experience of using the new community based psychiatric services. Of those who remembered the previous asylum based services most thought the new services were an improvement in many respects and were satisfied with the care provided for their patients. However, there were difficulties in obtaining emergency admissions, and criticisms of the social work service being slow to respond to requests for help. General dissatisfaction was expressed about feedback, particularly from the community psychiatric nursing service. General practitioners are expected to have a key role in the coordination of community services. However, most general practitioners interviewed had no particular interest or training in psychiatry. This, coupled with the inadequate information they received and the possibility of their workload increasing as more patients move out of hospital, raises questions about how they may be helped to fulfil this coordinating role in community psychiatric services.