Only guidelines can be laid down by the College for trainees in psychiatry, because:

1. No single training programme can be acceptable for the varied activities that consultant psychiatrists might undertake;

2. The service demands of hospitals where training is carried out are varied;

3. Trainees differ in their abilities and their medical experience before commencing psychiatric training.

This Memorandum has been prepared in response to an invitation from the Central Manpower Committee (C.M.C.) to express opinions on the level of medical staffing required to maintain psychiatric services

at

• (i) a minimum acceptable standard;

• (ii) a desirable or ideal standard.

In June of this year the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe issued a resolution, setting out ‘Standard minimum rules for the treatment of prisoners’. We in Britain will no doubt feel that such a document will only be of academic interest to us, as our prisons are bound to be better than the minimum standards prescribed. For the most part this is probably true, but it seems worthwhile to examine the contents of this document† in order to determine whether there are any areas of concern in this country.