TY - JOUR
AU - J. Krska
AU - S. Palmer
AU - A. Dalzell-Brown
AU - P. Nicholl
A1 - 
AB - Aims To determine Citizen's Advice Bureaux (CAB) and general practice staff perceptions on the impact of a CAB Health Outreach (CABHO) service on staff workload. To quantify the frequency of mental health issues among patients referred to the CABHO service. To measure any impact of the CABHO service on appointments, referrals and prescribing for mental health. BACKGROUND: GPs and practice managers perceive that welfare rights services, provided by CAB, reduce practice staff workload, but this has not been quantified. METHODS: Interviews with practice managers and GPs hosting and CAB staff providing an advisory service in nine general practices. Comparison of frequency of GP and nurse appointments, mental health referrals and prescriptions for hypnotics/anxiolytics and antidepressants issued before and after referral to the CABHO service, obtained from medical records of referred patients. Findings Most GPs and CAB staff perceived the service reduced practice staff workload, although practice managers were less certain. CAB staff believed that many patients referred to them had mental health issues. Data were obtained for 148/250 referrals of whom 46% may have had a mental health issue. There were statistically significant reductions in the number of GP appointments and prescriptions for hypnotics/anxiolytics during the six months after referral to CABHO compared with six months before. There were also non-significant reductions in nurse appointments and prescriptions for antidepressants, but no change in appointments or referrals for mental health problems. The quantitative findings therefore confirmed perceptions among both CAB and practice staff of reduced workload and in addition suggest that prescribing may be reduced, although further larger-scale studies are required to confirm this.
BT - Primary health care research & development
C5 - Education & Workforce
DO - 10.1017/S1463423612000461
JF - Primary health care research & development
N2 - Aims To determine Citizen's Advice Bureaux (CAB) and general practice staff perceptions on the impact of a CAB Health Outreach (CABHO) service on staff workload. To quantify the frequency of mental health issues among patients referred to the CABHO service. To measure any impact of the CABHO service on appointments, referrals and prescribing for mental health. BACKGROUND: GPs and practice managers perceive that welfare rights services, provided by CAB, reduce practice staff workload, but this has not been quantified. METHODS: Interviews with practice managers and GPs hosting and CAB staff providing an advisory service in nine general practices. Comparison of frequency of GP and nurse appointments, mental health referrals and prescriptions for hypnotics/anxiolytics and antidepressants issued before and after referral to the CABHO service, obtained from medical records of referred patients. Findings Most GPs and CAB staff perceived the service reduced practice staff workload, although practice managers were less certain. CAB staff believed that many patients referred to them had mental health issues. Data were obtained for 148/250 referrals of whom 46% may have had a mental health issue. There were statistically significant reductions in the number of GP appointments and prescriptions for hypnotics/anxiolytics during the six months after referral to CABHO compared with six months before. There were also non-significant reductions in nurse appointments and prescriptions for antidepressants, but no change in appointments or referrals for mental health problems. The quantitative findings therefore confirmed perceptions among both CAB and practice staff of reduced workload and in addition suggest that prescribing may be reduced, although further larger-scale studies are required to confirm this.
PY - 2012
SN - 1477-1128; 1463-4236
SP - 307
EP - 314
EP - 
T1 - Evaluation of welfare advice in primary care: effect on practice workload and prescribing for mental health
T2 - Primary health care research & development
TI - Evaluation of welfare advice in primary care: effect on practice workload and prescribing for mental health
U1 - Education & Workforce
U2 - 23046829
U3 - 10.1017/S1463423612000461
VO - 1477-1128; 1463-4236
Y1 - 2012
ER -