Faculty of Liaison Psychiatry

Liaison psychiatry is the sub-specialty which provides psychiatric treatment to patients attending general hospitals, whether they attend out-patient clinics, accident & emergency departments or are admitted to in-patient wards. Therefore it deals with the interface between physical and psychological health.

There is now abundant evidence that medical and surgical patients have a high prevalence of psychiatric disorder which can be effectively treated with psychological or pharmacological methods.

OTHER ITEMS

• New website: Improving Mental & Physical Health – Providing links to resources for supporting the physical health of people with mental health problems and learning difficulties and the mental health of people with physical health problems.
• No Health without Mental Health: campaign by RCPsych and the Academy of Royal Medical Colleges to strengthen both the provision of mental health care to people with physical illness, and the quality of phyisical healthcare provided to people with mental health problems.
• The Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network (PLAN) is the newly established Psychiatric Liaison Accreditation Network run by the Royal College of Psychiatrists’ Centre for Quality Improvement (CCQI). It is open to all liaison services in the UK and Ireland. Its aim is to support liaison services to continually improve and develop at a suitable pace.
• The Moving Forwards: Pathways to Better Mental Health and Well-being' Report’