Response to report by Mind - Better equipped, better care: Improving mental health training

Statement / comment
01 November 2016
Professor Sir Simon Wesseley said:

“We strongly support the case for an additional year of training for GPs, some of which will be spent in mental health - being a GP is probably the most difficult job in medicine, yet it has the shortest training.

The Five Year Forward View for Mental Health aims to ensure that mental health needs are treated with equal importance to physical health needs. GPs and practice nurses are often the first healthcare professionals that people see when they are unwell. It is essential that they have the skills and confidence to assess and manage common mental disorders and know when to access specialist mental health care.”

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