The Top End Mental Health Services General Practice Clinic: an initiative for patients with serious mental illness.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of the present study was to provide an overview of the benefits of establishing a general practice clinic within a community mental health service. The clinic was established via collaboration between the Division of General Practice and the Mental Health Service.

METHODS

Data collected over 19 months during the operation of the General Practice Clinic were compared to national benchmarks for similar general practice data.

RESULTS

The clinic was able to offer much longer appointments than would normally be available in most general practices. This allowed for comprehensive screening of serious illness as well as health promotion activities.

CONCLUSIONS

The General Practice Clinic was able to address the significant health needs for patients with serious mental illness in a manner that was ahead of national benchmarks for this patient group. Barriers to care in the patient group, such as stigma and non-attendance, were overcome by coordination between the general practitioners staffing the clinic and their collaboration with the case managers and reception staff of the service.