In general, these models have developed in a chronological order. There is also increased sophistication of the service. If there is a psychiatric unit within the general hospital itself, flexibility with respect to the time and place of the consultation or assessment will be enhanced. Being visitors, the psychiatrists have no offices of their own and often have to assess the patients under circumstances not entirely suitable. In the second model, visiting psychiatrists go to the general hospital wards to see the patients. Many psychiatric out-patient departments reserve a number of urgent new case slots for such patients. A considerable proportion of these have to be seen quickly. They may be referred to the psychiatric clinics just like patients requiring the attention of doctors of any other specialty. Three models are discernible when we consider how the general hospital patient gets psychiatric care. PSYCHIATRIC SERVICE FOR THE GENERAL HOSPITAL PATIENTS This paper aims at reviewing the development of general hospital psychiatry in Hong Kong, looking at this aspect of our practice in relation to the whole specialty and discussing some particular roles of the general hospital psychiatrist.

General hospital psychiatric units contribute substantially to the success of community-based care. The benefits of community-based psychiatric care are certainly multiple.

In Hong Kong, the policy of the Hospital Authority (a statutory quasi-governmental body established on 1 December 1990 to manage all local public hospitals) is in line with this (Hong Kong Hospital Authority, 1995). One of the results has been the development of psychiatric units in general hospitals while mental hospitals are seldom or no longer built.

There is a recognized international trend towards managing mental patients in the community as far as possible. Keywords: psychiatry, general hospital, Hong Kong, consultation-liaison, re-integration After a review of the overseas and local histories, the particular roles of the general hospital psychiatrist are discussed and some suggestions are made for the future development of general hospital psychiatry in Hong Kong. The emphasis on the community care of psychiatric patients has led to, inter alia, the development of general hospital psychiatric units.

Carithas hospital psychiatrist