Community Engagement in a complex intervention to improve access to primary mental health care for hard-to-reach groups.

Background: Despite the availability of effective evidence-based treatments for depression and anxiety, many 'harder-to-reach' social and patient groups experience difficulties accessing treatment. We developed a complex intervention, the AMP (Improving Access to Mental Health in Primary Care) programme, which combined community engagement (CE), tailored (individual and group) psychosocial interventions and primary care involvement.

Objectives: To develop and evaluate a model for community engagement component of the complex intervention.