title: Clinical management special: mental health. Lost in liaison.
abstract: Liaison psychiatry offers valuable support to general hospital patients, but remains an underdeveloped service. Although there is no mention of liaison psychiatry in the mental health national service framework, other NSFs emphasise the need for medical patients to have access to such services. Barriers to development are the lack of understanding of the service and funding issues arising from services falling between mental health and acute trusts.
authors.forename: Carol
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lewis
mesh_terms: D015897:Comorbidity; D004739:England; D006297:Health Services Accessibility; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006769:Hospitals, General / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D008605:Mental Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team; D011567:Psychiatric Department, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D012017:Referral and Consultation; D013222:State Medicine