Old age psychiatry: a speciality in transition

Aims and methodsWe aimed to update Information on the development of old age psychiatric services using a postal survey of consultants.ResultsThe response rate (51%) was lower than previous surveys in the 1980s. Senior academic appointments showed little increase and academic posts were largely National Health Service (NHS) funded. Services had smaller catchment areas and increased numbers of staff in medicine, nursing and social work, but not in occupational therapy, physiotherapy and psychology. Relative workload was increasing and most services included early-onset dementia. There was a decrease in provision of NHS long-stay beds with only marginal changes in other facilities.Clinical implicationsServices were offering more to patients than previously. Weakness in academic development may cause problems for the future; the results suggested that recruitment in some disciplines may already be problematical. There is a need to develop the role of NHS long-stay facilities.