Report calls for 700 new mental health specialist GPs by 2020

The Mental Health Taskforce has published a report recommending that 700 new mental health specialist GPs should be trained and enrolled in the NHS by the end of the decade.

The Five Year Forward Review, commissioned by NHS England, said that the sector was underfunded and set out a number of recommendations, including improving access to therapy and crisis care and suggested that all GPs receive ‘core mental health training’.

The report added that the NHS should introduce ‘GPs with an extended Scope of Practice in Mental Health’ or ‘GPwERs’. It proposes that practices are given the ‘time they need’ to carry out thousands more physical checks in patients with mental health problems, including the delivery of ‘multi-disciplinary mental health support in primary care’.

The study raised concerns regarding the rising rate of suicides, after years of decline, and outlined the incidence as the leading cause of death for men aged 15-49. It recommends a ‘major drive’ to reduce suicides by 10 per cent by 2020-21 and an increase in access to psychological therapies for people with common mental health problems.

In particular, the report calls for: “The DoH and NHS England to work with the RCGP (Royal College of General Practitioners) and HEE (Health Education England) to ensure that by 2020 all GPs, including the 5,000 joining the workforce by 2020/21, receive core mental health training, and to develop a new role of GPs with an extended Scope of Practice (GPwER) in Mental Health, with at least 700 in practice within five years.’

It added: “NHS England should also lead work to ensure that by 2020/21, 280,000 more people living with severe mental illness have their physical health needs met by increasing early detection and expanding access to evidence-based physical care assessment and intervention. This will involve developing, evaluating and implementing models of primary care whereby GPs and practice nurses take responsibility for delivering the full suite of physical care screenings, outreach, carer training and onward interventions or referrals, in line with NICE guidelines.

“This model should include outreach workers or carer training to support people to access primary care because many people with psychosis struggle to access services, and give GPs and practice nurses the training and time they need to deliver NICE concordant screening and care.”

In response to the report Simon Stevens, NHS chief executive, said: “Mental health services have historically been the NHS’ poor relation. Putting mental and physical health on an equal footing will require major improvements in seven day mental health crisis care, a large increase in psychological treatments, and a more integrated approach to how services are delivered.”

Prime Minister David Cameron said: “For too long there hasn’t been enough focus on mental health care in this country meaning too many have had to suffer in silence. The taskforce has set out how we can work towards putting mental and physical healthcare on an equal footing and I am committed to making sure that happens."