One in seven Sheffield patients' mental health problems "unrecognised by GP"

One in seven patients in Sheffield feel their mental health problems are going unrecognised by their GP, new figures suggest.
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The Royal College of GPs is calling for longer appointment slots, warning the standard 10-minute window is "not fit for purpose" and leaves doctors unable to delve into more complex health issues.

A survey of 8,524 patients in the NHS Sheffield CCG area revealed 3,382 had mental health needs of some kind at their last GP appointment.

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Of those, 14% felt their needs had not been recognised or understood after speaking to their doctor.

Mental health issues are going unrecognisdMental health issues are going unrecognisd
Mental health issues are going unrecognisd

The figures come from the 2020 GP Patient Survey, conducted between January and April this year, which provides an overview of patients' experiences with primary care services.

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Across England, 15% of patients surveyed said their healthcare professional didn't recognise or understand any mental health needs they might have had during their most recent appointment – up slightly from 14% in 2019 and 13% in 2018.

Royal College of GPs chairman Professor Martin Marshall said mental health is a priority in general practice, but some conditions are "complex and difficult to diagnose".

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"It’s not uncommon for some patients to present with physical issues, such as chest pains, and only after careful assessment would a GP be able to determine if a symptom is due to an underlying physical condition or stress and anxiety," he said.

He added that this was why the college had spent several years calling for longer appointments.

"The standard 10-minute appointment is not fit for purpose, particularly for complex conditions. If we are to give mental health problems parity of esteem with physical health problems, the reality is GPs will need more time with patients," he said.

Lucy Schonegevel, head of health influencing at charity Rethink Mental Illness, said it is worrying some patients feel their needs aren't being met.

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She said: “GPs are the first port of call for many people experiencing mental health problems, so it’s crucial that people can trust that they will receive a high standard of care from their doctor.

"We’re anticipating an increase in demand for mental health services due to the pandemic, so to reduce pressure on GPs it’s crucial to open up other routes to help people access mental health care when they need it."

She added that although more training would help GPs to provide more effective support, other solutions such as link workers within general practice should be considered.

The NHS has committed to introducing 1,000 link workers – non-clinical staff focused on supporting wellbeing who can signpost to support or activity groups – by April 2021 as part of its Long Term Plan.

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Of the Sheffield patients surveyed, 81% said their overall experience of their GP practice was good – slightly below the national average of 82%.

Dr Terry Hudsen, GP and Chair at NHS Sheffield CCG said: “This year’s GP Patient Survey results show that nearly 9 out of 10 people in Sheffield answered yes when asked if they felt that the healthcare professional recognised and understood their mental health needs. Whilst this is a positive figure, we recognise that there is more that could and should be done to ensure all patients feel that practice staff recongise their needs. In Sheffield we are committed to supporting GP practice staff to safely provide rapid and effective support, care and treatment for people with psychological or emotional distress.

“Not only have we invested in a range of community-based services, to ensure that people can seek help and support when they need it, but we are also one of a number of areas who are developing an integrated community and primary care mental health offer. This means community, voluntary, primary care and mental health services working together as part of one team to provide targeted and appropriate help and support. This will see mental health nurses, clinical psychologists and psychotherapists based in GP practices and seeing adults with serious mental illnesses, including eating disorders and personality disorders. This will ensure patients can be seen closer to home, reduce waiting times, and improve access to services. Within the first three weeks, this new service saw 110 new patients in four neighbourhoods, who would have otherwise fallen between the gap or have been put on a waiting list. This is good news for Sheffield people and we are looking at ways to expand this across our city.”

There are a full range of talking therapies available to those who need help via the Sheffield Improving Access to Psychological Therapy (IAPT) service https://iaptsheffield.shsc.nhs.uk/. Patients can self-refer to IAPT or discuss via their GP

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There are a number of helplines available in Sheffield should anyone require urgent help and support:

Sheffield mental health crisis line (available 24/7): 0808 801 0440

Helpline for urgent mental health support and advice relating to COVID-19: 0114 226 3636

Helpline for Children and Young People seeking urgent mental health support and advice: 0808 275 8892

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