A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services
The referral letter is a key instrument in moving patients from primary to secondary care services. Consequently, the circumstances in which a referral should be made and its contents have been the subject of clinical guidelines. This article is based on a project that demonstrated that physicians...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Published: |
SAGE
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/786/ |
| _version_ | 1848790480075096064 |
|---|---|
| author | Shaw, Ian Clegg Smith, Katherine M Middleton, Hugh Woodward, Louise |
| author_facet | Shaw, Ian Clegg Smith, Katherine M Middleton, Hugh Woodward, Louise |
| author_sort | Shaw, Ian |
| building | Nottingham Research Data Repository |
| collection | Online Access |
| description | The referral letter is a key instrument in moving patients from primary to secondary care services. Consequently, the circumstances in which a referral should be made and its contents have been the subject of clinical guidelines. This article is based on a project that demonstrated
that physicians do not adhere to clinical guidelines when referring patients to secondary mental health services. This research supports earlier findings into noncompliance
with guidelines by general practitioners (GPs). The authors briefly note possible reasons, which have been the subject of some debate. They also present a content analysis of referral letters to demonstrate the important ways in which they differ from guideline criteria. However, their central argument is that the role of the referral letter in relation to the GP’s repertoire of treatments has not been understood fully. Such understanding implies the need for a reexamination of the support available for GPs. |
| first_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:13:17Z |
| format | Article |
| id | nottingham-786 |
| institution | University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus |
| institution_category | Local University |
| last_indexed | 2025-11-14T18:13:17Z |
| publisher | SAGE |
| recordtype | eprints |
| repository_type | Digital Repository |
| spelling | nottingham-7862020-05-04T20:34:49Z https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/786/ A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services Shaw, Ian Clegg Smith, Katherine M Middleton, Hugh Woodward, Louise The referral letter is a key instrument in moving patients from primary to secondary care services. Consequently, the circumstances in which a referral should be made and its contents have been the subject of clinical guidelines. This article is based on a project that demonstrated that physicians do not adhere to clinical guidelines when referring patients to secondary mental health services. This research supports earlier findings into noncompliance with guidelines by general practitioners (GPs). The authors briefly note possible reasons, which have been the subject of some debate. They also present a content analysis of referral letters to demonstrate the important ways in which they differ from guideline criteria. However, their central argument is that the role of the referral letter in relation to the GP’s repertoire of treatments has not been understood fully. Such understanding implies the need for a reexamination of the support available for GPs. SAGE Article PeerReviewed Shaw, Ian, Clegg Smith, Katherine M, Middleton, Hugh and Woodward, Louise A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services. Qualitative Health Research, 15 . pp. 116-128. referral letter; general practitioners; ritual; communication |
| spellingShingle | referral letter; general practitioners; ritual; communication Shaw, Ian Clegg Smith, Katherine M Middleton, Hugh Woodward, Louise A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services |
| title | A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services |
| title_full | A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services |
| title_fullStr | A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services |
| title_full_unstemmed | A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services |
| title_short | A Letter of Consequence: Referral Letters from General Practitioners to Secondary Mental Health Services |
| title_sort | letter of consequence: referral letters from general practitioners to secondary mental health services |
| topic | referral letter; general practitioners; ritual; communication |
| url | https://eprints.nottingham.ac.uk/786/ |