Primary Care Psychological Medicine – first year evaluation
Nick O’Shea
Could the NHS better support people with persistent physical symptoms of illness in primary care?
A new approach to complex needs highlights how a psychological service working in GP surgeries in Nottingham is improving the health of people with unexplained, persistent physical symptoms of illness. The service has also saved more money than its staffing costs in its first year.
This briefing from the Mental Health Economics Collaborative evaluates the Primary Care Psychological Medicine programme, which demonstrates encouraging reductions in health care use for patients both during and after treatment. After one year of full-scale delivery, the programme shows great potential to not only reduce health care costs, but also – much more importantly – improve the health of the people it treats.
