Computers themselves do very little other than make a rather soothing whirring noise and blink expectantly at you. It is the application software that you do work with, not the computer itself. Before we look at some of the common software applications, a brief word about files.

The optimal system for delivering forensic psychiatric care has yet to be established. At an early stage, Gunn (1977) drew attention to the differing models of a ‘parallel’ service and an ‘integrated’ approach. Only with the integrated system do forensic patients pass to ordinary NHS facilities when they no longer require security or other specialist expertise. The debate can be extended into whether forensic services should be provided by regional units, by district services, or by a mixture of both. Indeed, the Royal College of Psychiatrists (1988) recognised that in addition to a regional service led by a fully trained forensic psychiatrist, secure care can be provided at a district level by consultants who have sufficient training to hold posts with a special responsibility. Furthermore, managers are understandably keen for as much as possible to be provided by their own district services.

As a psychiatric trainee I have often been intrigued by the respect that is accorded to pregnant women, deservingly or not, by the general public. People give up their seats on crowded trains and buses, they open doors, refuse to allow any heavy lifting and generally pamper the pregnant woman. As the months pass and the woman is transformed into a potential mother, attitudes towards her adjust, and she begins to be viewed in a different light. Certainly such was the case for me during my pregnancy and it was fascinating to observe the way in which the doctor-patient relationship changed as a result of my pregnant state.