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Chapter 240guidelines, and GP roles in multidisciplinary teams. Offering training programmes in an interprofessional setting can support the latter and will additionally promote collaboration between care professionals. Secondly, ongoing policy changes, such as the move to integrated care systems in the UK, and best practices like the Community Learning Disability Teams in the UK, provide opportunities for further development of optimal collaborative healthcare models for patients with both ID and MHD. Policymakers should re-examine payment models to create incentives for collaborative care, facilitate shared ICT information facilities, and involve potential users in the development of these healthcare models. Thirdly, although the increase in publication over the recent years is a positive sign, more research is still needed on the effectiveness of existing general mental health guidelines and tools to determine whether they are truly applicable to patients with ID or whether specific alterations are needed. Priority should be given to guidelines and tools on MHD assessment, the prescription of psychotropic medication, and patient follow-up. Finally, further research should focus on the needs of caregivers in supporting patients, as well as on the needs of patients with both ID and MHD and how they can enhance their autonomy in GP contacts.ConclusionThis scoping review illustrates GPs’ vital roles in the care of patients with both ID and MHD. Current GP care has generally proved insufficient, and improvement strategies are needed in close collaboration with policymakers and organisational managers. Multidisciplinary approaches in primary care – like those in the UK and USA – seem promising, but still lack sufficient scientific evaluation. Investment in education, evidence-based guidelines and tools, and collaborative healthcare models is essential. This, supplemented with enhanced ID identification and attention to the needs of patients and their caregivers, may significantly improve the quality of care for this vulnerable patient group.Katrien Pouls sHL.indd 40 24-06-2024 16:26