A service evaluation of self-referral to military mental health teams.
BACKGROUND
The UK military runs a comprehensive mental health service ordinarily accessed via primary care referrals.


OBJECTIVE
To evaluate the feasibility of self-referral to mental health services within a military environment.


METHODS
Three pilot sites were identified; one from each service (Royal Navy, Army, Air Force). Socio-demographic information included age, rank, service and career duration. Clinical data included prior contact with general practitioner (GP), provisional diagnosis and assessment outcome.


RESULTS
Of the 57 self-referrals, 69% (n = 39) had not previously accessed primary care for their current difficulties. After their mental health assessment, 47 (82%) were found to have a formal mental health problem and 41 (72%) were offered a further mental health clinician appointment. The data compared favourably with a large military mental health department that reported 87% of primary care referrals had a formal mental health condition.


CONCLUSIONS
The majority of self-referrals had formal mental health conditions for which they had not previously sought help from primary care; most were offered further clinical input. This supports the view that self-referral may be a useful option to encourage military personnel to seek professional care over and above the usual route of accessing care through their GP.
Defence Primary Health Care, Ministry of Defence, Lichfield WS14 9PY, UK.
I
I
Kennedy
School of Healthcare Sciences, Cardiff University, Cardiff CF14 4XN, UK, whybrowd@cardiff.ac.uk.
D
D
Whybrow
Academic Department of Military Mental Health, King's College London, London SE5 9RJ, UK.
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N
Jones
Defence Primary Healthcare, Ministry of Defence, Portsmouth PO1 3LT, UK.
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J
Sharpley
Academic Department of Military Mental Health, King's College London, London SE5 9RJ, UK.
N
N
Greenberg
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000175:diagnosis; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008889:Military Personnel / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D010865:Pilot Projects; D057566:Self Report; D006113:United Kingdom
Improving access; mental health; military; self-referral.