Is it too late for a solution to the ossification of community psychiatry?

Professor Tyrer's article ¹ has been such a comforting read, as many of his thoughts expressed will resonate with views of many average, hard-working, catchment area psychiatrists. The fragmentation of psychiatric services has already occurred and is likely to continue in the immediate few years. Psychiatrists as professionals have difficulties sustaining therapeutic relationships (the anchor in any healing process) for any decent length of time with patients who often are traumatised, ill and vulnerable.

Professor Tyrer's solution lives up to the College's motto ‘Let Wisdom Guide’ and makes a lot of sense to the dying-out breed of catchment area psychiatrists, but has it come too late? The ‘product champions’ of different service models are likely to rise up in defence of their brands and the new lot of fragmented-care psychiatrists may have visions of themselves as super-specialists, and so may see catchment area psychiatrists as belonging to a bygone era. But maybe, in this new era of reflection, we should all spare some time and reflect on our College's motto and Professor Tyrer's words of wisdom.