General practitioners' satisfaction with a primary care clinical psychology service

Abstract

A specialist Clinical Psychology Service in Primary Care was set up in one health district in 1979 on a three-year experimental basis. A survey conducted among the general practitioners who had used the service during this period found a high level of satisfaction. The views of the general practitioners are reported and also their ratings of the outcome of psychological treatment in each of 305 cases. The relationship between certain patient characteristics and treatment outcome is also presented. These results are discussed in relation to further research required in this area and the future of liaison between clinical psychologists and general practitioners.