Survey of GPs' views of learning disability services

This survey aimed to examine GPs' awareness of the learning disabilities services in Sandwell, West Midlands, and their attitudes towards them. Sixty-two per cent of GPs participated in the study which involved completion of a short questionnaire or interview. The questionnaire was either administered to the GP during a short interview, or completed by a GP who returned the completed questionnaire to the researcher. Only information obtained in response to the questionnaire has been used in collating the data for this survey. The results show that GPs are very confused about what constitutes a learning disability and have only a limited knowledge of the specialist services available to this client group; furthermore, where they were aware of the services available, accessing them was often problematic. Reasons for these findings, along with recommendations, are discussed.