The promotion and delivery of mental health services in primary care settings

Abstract

Primary health care is about providing a so formulated ‘essential health care’. Primary care should deal with the health of everyone in the community and should act as a coordinator of a comprehensive response at all levels. Mental health services are those services that provide specialist care for people with mental illness or mental problems. Until today there is no standardized model for the commissioning and provision of primary mental health care services. The promotion and delivery of mental health services in primary care settings requires that practitioners cease practicing in their professional settings and whenever possible have the patient/client at the center of their own care plan and that practitioners are actively engaged in the work of improving their health outcomes. This can best be achieved when all health disciplines work as a team. In this context, the report from of an Expert Panel on the Core Competencies for Interprofessional Collaborative Practice can be used as a resource. Primary mental health care should integrate a holistic approach, because mental health has always physical, psychological, and social elements.