Mental health needs of populations and the burden of secondary care: An audit of patients assessed under the Care Programme Approach in South East Kent

Abstract

This ecological study examines the relation of population need to the burden of secondary care (expressed as the number of persons receiving services per 1000 population), in 93 electoral wards in South East Kent. All patients receiving mental health care over a 1 month period under the Care Programme Approach (CPA) were reviewed. The overall burden of care was 1.2% of the population served. Predicted population needs for services ranged from well below to well above the national average. Population needs and the burden of secondary care were closely associated: r = 0.72 for all patients; r = 0.74 for those with complex needs. The latter group represented approximately one fifth of all patients receiving services. Developing mental health services involves making difficult decisions over resources. Data derived from the CPA may help this process if commitment can be made to ensuring consistency in the application of the CPA and accuracy in the gathering of data used to plan services.