Community psychiatric nursing has developed rapidly in recent years and there is a great variation between services and in operational policies. It seemed appropriate that there should be some discussion within the College as to the role of the community psychiatric nurse, lines of responsibility and communication and relationship with other professional groups.

Pre-Membership training tends to concentrate on the acquisition of knowledge and gaining clinical experience, especially in the assessment of patients. In postgraduate training the learning of various management skills, the development of special interests and filling gaps in previous training are the primary tasks. Theoretical learning through books and journals alone is insufficient in these areas. Opportunities must be available for the senior registrar to use his clinical time to achieve satisfactory training. If the senior registrar's position is largely supernumerary this is easily achieved; however, this happy situation is a rarity.

Should the future GP do a six months' senior house officer job in psychiatry as part of his or her training? This was the central question at a one-day discussion held on 28 May 1980 at the Royal College of General Practitioners in Princes Gate, London, following the publication of the guidelines prepared by a RCPsych/RCGP Liaison Committee (Bulletin, June 1980, p 93) and presented to the conference by Dr Thomas Bewley. As Professor N. Kessel, among others, pointed out, psychiatric hospitals and units stand to gain considerably if they can recruit these doctors to their junior staff. Regular SHO posts are often difficult to fill at present, and GP trainees may be of very good quality. They do not expect to compete up the specialty training ladder, but they will carry part of the work-load. On the other hand, is what the hospital offers what they really need, or can it be made so?