Training primary mental health workers:

the Birmingham experience

LESTER, HELEN
COOPER, HANNAH

Correspondence to: Helen Lester, Department of Primary Care and General Practice, Medical School, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK. Tel: +44 (0)121 414 2684; fax: +44 (0)121 414 6571; email: h.e.lester @bham.ac.uk.

Helen Lester, MB BCH FRCGP MD MA, is a GP and Senior Lecturer in the Department of Primary Care and General Practice, University of Birmingham. Hannah Cooper, BSc PhD, is Research Fellow in Primary Care in the Department of Primary Care and General Practice, University of Birmingham.

Accepted January 2003

Education for Primary Care 14(4):p 475-483, November 2003.

SUMMARY

This paper describes an innovative training programme for the newly created role of the primary mental health worker (PMHW). Five PMHWs in Birmingham undertook a 12-week full-time training programme to prepare them for their appointment. At the end of the initial training period they had a three-week workplace induction. During the training, the workers evaluated the educational sessions and at the completion of the course attended a focus group to discuss their opinions of the training. A further focus group was run once the PMHWs had been in post for three months to compare the utility of their training in practice, and to formulate ideas for future PMHW training programmes.