Evaluation of the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG) as a means of improving access from primary care to secondary mental health services
| ISRCTN | ISRCTN86197914 |
|---|---|
| DOI | https://doi.org/10.1186/ISRCTN86197914 |
| Protocol serial number | SDO 71/2003 |
| Sponsor | NHS Service Delivery and Organisation Programme (SDO) (UK) |
| Funder | NHS Service Delivery and Organisation R&D Programme (UK) (ref: SDO 71/2003) |
- Submission date
- 13/08/2004
- Registration date
- 05/10/2004
- Last edited
- 10/11/2022
- Recruitment status
- No longer recruiting
- Overall study status
- Completed
- Condition category
- Mental and Behavioural Disorders
Prospectively registered
Protocol
Statistical analysis plan
Results
Individual participant data
Plain English summary of protocol
Not provided at time of registration
Contact information
Dr Mike Slade
Scientific
Scientific
Health Services Research Department (Box P029)
David Goldberg building
Institute of Psychiatry
De Crespigny Park
Denmark Hill
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom
| Phone | +44 (0)20 7848 0795 |
|---|---|
| m.slade@iop.kcl.ac.uk |
Study information
| Primary study design | Interventional |
|---|---|
| Study design | Randomised controlled trial. |
| Secondary study design | Randomised controlled trial |
| Scientific title | Evaluation of the Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG) as a means of improving access from primary care to secondary mental health services |
| Study acronym | TAG |
| Study objectives | Primary hypothesis: Using the TAG will significantly improve the agreement between the GP and the adult mental health team on the appropriateness of the referral Secondary hypotheses: Receiving a TAG with a referral letter will make it significantly easier for the mental health team to identify a. The urgency of the referral b. The most appropriate professional to make the initial assessment |
| Ethics approval(s) | Added as of 06/08/2007: The study was approved by Metropolitan Multi-centre Ethics Committee (04/MRE11/8) with Local REC approval in London and Manchester, and research governance support from the relevant Primary Care Trusts and Mental Health Trusts. |
| Health condition(s) or problem(s) studied | Mental health |
| Intervention | Control group: referrers to CMHTs asked to make referrals using a referral letter or form as per existing practice. Intervention group: referrers to CMHTs asked to complete a Threshold Assessment Grid (TAG) in addition to a referral letter, and given guidance on its contents. Amendments to the trial as of 01 June 2005: 1. We will now be paying GP practices £100 to cover administrative costs incurred in providing us with service use data for the 5-10 patients they referred to mental health teams during Jan - June 2005. To facilitate this service use data collection, the name and date of birth of referred patients will be recorded at the mental health team referral meeting. 2. We will now be paying GPs £100 for their time in being interviewed to learn about their experiences of using TAG 3. We will be interviewing key informants in mental health teams about their experience in receiving TAGs with the referral letter 4. We will be extending the randomised controlled trial (RCT) from 6 to 9 months, so it finishes on 30 September 2005 instead of 30 June 2005. |
| Intervention type | Other |
| Primary outcome measure(s) |
CMHT rating of appropriateness of the referral. |
| Key secondary outcome measure(s) |
CMHT rating of the quality of information to inform decision-making about urgency of the referral and which professional should make the initial assessment. In addition to this, service usage data will be collected to allow cost effectiveness analysis. |
| Completion date | 30/09/2005 |
Eligibility
| Participant type(s) | Patient |
|---|---|
| Age group | Adult |
| Sex | All |
| Target sample size at registration | 73 |
| Total final enrolment | 73 |
| Key inclusion criteria | General Practitioners (GPs) and other referrers to Community Mental Health Teams (CMHTs). |
| Key exclusion criteria | None |
| Date of first enrolment | 01/01/2005 |
| Date of final enrolment | 30/09/2005 |
Locations
Countries of recruitment
- United Kingdom
- England
Study participating centre
Health Services Research Department (Box P029)
London
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom
SE5 8AF
United Kingdom
Results and Publications
| Individual participant data (IPD) Intention to share | No |
|---|---|
| IPD sharing plan summary | Not provided at time of registration |
| IPD sharing plan | Not provided at time of registration |
Study outputs
| Output type | Details | Date created | Date added | Peer reviewed? | Patient-facing? |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Results article | 25/07/2007 | Yes | No | ||
| Results article | 01/06/2008 | Yes | No | ||
| Study website | Study website | 11/11/2025 | 11/11/2025 | No | Yes |
Editorial Notes
10/11/2022: The following changes were made to the trial record:
1. Publication reference added.
2. The total final enrolment was added.
