Communications between a multiagency mental health service and general practitioners: Are standardisation and audit possible?

Abstract

Recent research has investigated the match between the information wanted by general practitioners and that provided by hospital staff to whom they have referred patients. The subject is increasingly important as health purchasers set more explicit standards. The work reported here went beyond previous research by involving all staff in a multidisciplinary multiagency service, rather than just medical staff; and by completing the audit cycle. A postal questionnaire sent to general practitioners and mental health professionals was used to develop standards for the content, format, timing and confidentiality of letters back to referrers. These standards were used in a retrospective audit, followed by a concurrent audit of letters written after the standard had been developed and circulated. The results showed high consensus amongst clinicians, enabling common standards for these letters to be developed. However, changes in practice based on this consensus were more difficult to achieve.