CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY SERVICE – Books Closing
The IDGP Clinical Psychology Service has been receiving an increasing number of referrals over the past 3 months. Our waiting time is currently estimated at four months and we have approximately 90 patients on our waiting list. With increasing numbers of referrals being received weekly we are unable to manage this demand effectively or safely. For this reason we have decided that the only option in the short term is to close our books. We will re-open our books as soon as the waiting list has been cleared and estimate that this will take approximately 3 - 4 months.
The IDGP Board is currently considering a variety of options proposed by the Clinical Psychology Service to address the increased demand for psychological services in the longer term. We recognise that closing the books is a short term solution and that strategies will need to be put in place to manage the waiting list better in the future. Referring GPs will be notified what these strategies are.
