Service provision for people with schizophrenia. II. Role of the general practitioner.

BACKGROUND This second report of a study of service provision for patients with schizophrenia describes patients' contact with general practice and general practitioners' (GPs') views of the mental health services. METHOD A postal questionnaire was sent to the GPs, and patients' primary care records were examined. RESULTS Data were collected on 131 subjects. The majority of patients (96) (73%) were in regular contact with their GP and were consulting for many different reasons; 27 (21%) were posing particular difficulties for the primary care team. GPs reported that 27 (21%) patients required additional support and that the care arrangements for 50 (38%) patients could be improved if alterations were made to the roles of the professionals already involved. CONCLUSIONS GPs are central to service provision for patients with schizophrenia. Both additional resources and changes in working practices are required to improve patient care. The service implications of these findings are discussed.