In 2001, the Royal College of Psychiatrists produced Council Report (CR103) which concluded that services for Black and minority ethnic elders had received little attention. the report also called for an urgent need to establish a reliable and informative database of good practice and increased research. It is currently under review by the College. This article attempts to set out some of the issues that remain as well as newly identified ones. In particular, the article hopes to heighten awareness and raise debate about these issues and to link these with the College's Race Equality Action Plan.

This article outlines how trainees can work in Australia without disrupting their career plan and how this can be accredited to their clinical training. In particular, the processes involved in obtaining approval for a post from the Royal College of Psychiatrists, the London Deanery, and the Department of Immigration and Medical Registration in Australia are described in detail.

A reassessment of the reasons for psychiatrists being reluctant to do research is made. It is suggested that a combination of inspiration and scepticism is required to both be a good researcher as well as a good clinician. These are seldom to be found in one individual but usually can be found if the trainee is prepared to scour. the benefits of success are many, and a long and productive life in clinical practice is likely with a positive attitude to research, not just to keep up with developments in an informed way but to prevent the ossifying process of clinical dogmatism from developing.

A small, city-wide clinical outreach service for the homeless mentally ill in Sheffield, UK, attained its present configuration 6 years ago. This paper discusses the lessons learnt in the course of the service's existence.

The homeless mentally ill identified by the service have disengaged from the ‘mainstream’ services and society. Most are from disturbed homes, nearly all have had prior contact with psychiatric services and as many as half have served prison terms. As service users, they must be actively sought out and engaged, which places specific demands upon a mental health team: flexibility of approach, patience and a willingness not to judge others' values.

Though largely anecdotal, the inferences drawn in Sheffield may have parallels elsewhere, not least since individual lives can turn upon pivotal (‘anecdotal’) encounters and those evinced by the homeless tell us much about society, psychiatry and the values of contemporary healthcare providers. Also, most of the time, the proposed model has been successful.

This commentary discusses the problems with workplace-based assessments and questions whether these methods are fit for purpose. It suggests that there is a risk that assessment methods that focus on competence may undermine the need for trainees to aspire to acquire excellent skills rather than merely be competent, which is no more than a rigid adherence to standardised and routinised procedures.

Although psychiatrists are well-acquainted with the Mental Health Act 1983, most are unlikely to know much about community care law, despite the fact that its provisions have the potential to significantly improve the level of service for the users. This paper explains the meaning of community care law, looks at how it applies to National Health Service trusts and what are the psychiatrists' responsibilities. It examines how community care law works and discusses the significance of ‘fair access to care services’ policy, the meaning of ‘need’, the benefits of direct payments, the significance of housing provision and the role of carers.

This article examines the recommendations in the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 that are related to child and adolescent psychiatric services. Statistics relating to the first 6 months of the Act are included to indicate how it is being implemented and enable conclusions to be reached on how the Act is working in practice at this early stage.