PB CPD Online e-learning site
HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

Psychiatric Bulletin (2006) 30: 394. doi: 10.1192/pb.30.10.394-a
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Beaglehole, A.
Right arrow Articles by Forbes, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Beaglehole, A.
Right arrow Articles by Forbes, F.
Psychiatric Bulletin (2006) 30: 394
© 2006 The Royal College of Psychiatrists

Correspondence

Impact of a waiting list initiative of a child and family out-patient mental health team

Anna Beaglehole, Senior House Officer in Psychiatry and Fiona Forbes, Consultant in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry

Child and Family Mental Health Service, Royal Hospital for Sick Children, Edinburgh EH9 1LL, email: Fiona.Forbes{at}lpct.scot.nhs.uk

This initiative sought to reduce the waiting list and to improve the triaging process of an out-patient multidisciplinary team based at the Royal Hospital for Sick Children in Edinburgh. The team consists of 6.5 whole-time equivalent clinicians and receives 250 referrals of children aged under 14 each year. All referrals (n=66) on the waiting list were offered an initial assessment during a 2-week period in July 2005. Interdisciplinary pairs were formed and each pair was assigned a clinic session comprising two 1-h assessments. A weekly meeting was held to discuss all cases and to prioritise and allocate according to need and the skills required to manage the problems.

Sixty-six patients were offered appointments and 46 of these attended. Thirty-seven patients (56%) were allocated to clinicians for further management, 21 (32%) cases were closed and 8 patients (12%) remained on the waiting list for further management. After 6 months, there were 33 on the waiting list, with an average waiting time of 5 weeks, which was down from 4.5 months.

The initiative was an effective way of assessing and allocating patients in a more appropriate and timely fashion, and resulted in a considerable improvement in the service offered. It also resulted in the establishment of regular ‘initial assessment clinics’. The experience had the effect of motivating the team, encouraging the sharing of ideas and generating action.





This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Submit an eLetter
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when eLetters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Beaglehole, A.
Right arrow Articles by Forbes, F.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Beaglehole, A.
Right arrow Articles by Forbes, F.

HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS
British Journal of Psychiatry Advances in Psychiatric Treatment All RCPsych Journals