| View expressed by * | |||
Perceived advantages | CMHT | GP | SU | N |
• There would be greater accessibility to screening for patients |
|
|
| 5 |
• It would introduce more flexibility into a system which otherwise only suits certain patient profiles |
|
| Â | 4 |
• The nurse would provide specialist cross-disciplinary knowledge in a complex area that few CMHT staff or GPs feel wholly confident in. |
| Â |
| 4 |
• This model has worked successfully in other areas e.g. offering HIV testing in a drug dependency unit; a hepatitis nurse attached to a community drug team |
|
| Â | 3 |
• A nurse could bridge the existing gaps between primary and secondary care |
| Â |
| 3 |
• It would prevent the burden falling on already overworked CMHT workers and allow them to concentrate on their "traditional [mental health] work". |
|
| Â | 3 |
• Mobile services are also successful e.g. breast screening, needle exchanges |
| Â |
| 3 |
• It would facilitate communication, allow monitoring of the service and improve liaison between different parts of the service. |
|
|
| 3 |
• It would allow a trusting ongoing clinical relationship to be established with the specialist nurse who knows about physical health issues |  |  |
| 2 |
• The nurse could take on additional roles e.g. running interventions, groups, prescribing |  |
| Â | 1 |
• Someone needs to take specific responsibility to ensure that screening does happen |  |
| Â | 1 |
• One specialist nurse could be employed across whole Primary Care Trusts |
| Â | Â | 1 |
Perceived disadvantages | Â | Â | Â | Â |
• There might be too much or (in the view of a different participant) too little work for the specialist nurse to provide |
|
| Â | 7 |
• It would be an expensive option and thus is unlikely to be prioritised or commissioned – non-attendance rates may be too high to justify the cost |
|
|
| 6 |
• It adds another person into the health service equation and complicates it |
| Â | Â | 2 |
• It might encourage further dependence on the service by people with SMI, rather than them accessing their GP like everybody else |
| Â | Â | 1 |
• It may make patients link physical side effects to their antipsychotic medication, encouraging cessation of treatment |
| Â | Â | 1 |
• It may create suspicion when SMI patients feel "singled out" for a special service |
| Â | Â | 1 |