15th December 2008

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Patients with depression are being let down at primary healthcare level because nurses are not trained sufficiently in dealing with mental health conditions, according to a University of Ulster researcher.
 
Mother-of-two Carole McIlrath from Ballymena, who receives her doctorate from Ulster at today’s ceremony at the Jordanstown campus, said that in her research she discovered primary care nurses were insufficiently trained in the area of depression, with many of them not considering mental health care as part of their job. 

Dr McIlrath said: “Primary care nurses are often the first point of call for almost anyone dealing with the health service. In the study, medical industry professionals were consulted as to the role these nurses play in dealing with adults who suffer from depression. The results showed that there is a need for more adequate funding and increased staffing levels to train nurses to deal with this particular mental health issue. 

“There is also a need for development of relevant policies and strategies in this area, as well as for primary care nurses to view treatment of depression as one of their roles.” 

Dr McIlrath said that with depression affecting around 121 million people worldwide and contributing to an increase in the number of suicides in Northern Ireland, steps must to be taken to address the gap in primary care.
 
“Previous research shows that depression can be linked to a number of other medical conditions and, so, if treated properly from step-one, that is the primary care nursing stage, then the benefits could be substantial. Although Northern Ireland policy, like the rest of the UK, has focused on the development of community mental health services, the pace of primary care development has lagged significantly behind developments in England. 
 
“The way forward for Northern Ireland should be an increase in the number of primary care nurses to take on new depression management roles. While we do have very good secondary care for depression, primary care needs to be improved.” 

For further information, please contact:

Trina Porter
Telephone: 028 71675511
Email: Trina Porter