GP chief’s warning over mental health issues

Chairman says lack of resources is a major obstacle

Under-resourced general practice is harming those suffering from mental health issues, it has been claimed.

Dr Miles Mack, the chairman of the Royal College of General Practitioners (Scotland), said the paucity of funding for general practice is having a negative impact on those suffering from mental health distress across the country.

Only by increasing GPs’ percentage share of NHS Scotland’s budget can mental health be given the parity it deserves with physical ailment, he added.

“Indeed, it is increasingly clear that the veil between the two is false,” he warned

Dr Mack said the country had made strides towards equality with the appointment of a minister for mental health but major barriers remain to be overcome, with GP funding perhaps being the main one.

GPs provide Scots with 90% of their contact with the NHS and of 24.2 million consultations it has been estimated that around a third contain an element of mental ill health.

“And yet, with such demand placed upon them, GPs are asked to deal with the complexities of such care in a 10-minute appointment,” Dr Mack said.

“The service must be funded to allow for longer consultation times for those presenting with mental distress.

“The NHS must plan for longer consultation times and, to do so, must therefore better resource general practice. How can an appropriate length of appointment be given when one in four practices in Scotland currently has at least one GP vacancy?

“We need an extra 740 GPs by 2020 just to deal with current population growth, never mind the increasing complexity of those consultations as our population ages.

“That stands against the 35 extra GPs provided between 2009 and 2013.”

He added that mental health services across Scotland are so restricted, with options for referral so limited and lengthy, that a huge amount of mental healthcare takes place through GPs.

In response, Health Secretary Shona Robison said: “To deliver the best for all patients, we need investment and improvement across the system.

“There is no point simply seeing funding or improvements around mental health or GPs in isolation.”

That, she said, was why there was a package of funding and reforms in place to support GPs, provide more care in the community and improve mental health services.

“This all comes as we work to deliver our national clinical strategy – which brings together a clear plan for our health and social care services and ensures our investment also delivers the improvements we need across physical and mental health,” she added.