Swansea NHS Trust currently employs seven Consultants in Adult Psychiatry who work within the established community mental health teams each providing psychiatric care to a specific geographical area. The majority of the Consultants’ time is spent working within the community team base providing clinical care to patients in liaison with community nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, psychology staff and the voluntary sector.

All Consultant staff has responsibility for the care of in-patients at Cefn Coed Hospital and a proportion of their week is spent there.

The service also employs a Consultant in Psychotherapy based at Ty Morris, Morriston and a Consultant in Liaison Psychiatry based at Morriston Hospital. The liaison service provides support and advice to those individuals admitted to general hospitals who may also suffer from mental health problems.

Eating disorder services are provided from the Orchard Centre in Swansea.

The Trust also has a Consultant in Rehabilitation Psychiatry who provides a service to individuals with longer lasting mental illness who need access to longer term specialist rehabilitation services.

A recent development has been the establishment of the Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment team with a view to providing care to individuals in their own home where possible as an alternative to hospital admission.

The psychiatric service has developed strong links to Swansea University with the appointment of two professors in mental health. Professor K Lloyd, Professor of Psychological Medicine and Director of the Institute of Life Science, has a special interest in the prevention and treatment of mental disorders in primary care and community settings. Professor J Thome, Professor in Psychiatry has an interest in molecular psychiatry, psychopharmacology and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. The professors also undertake clinical work within the Trust as Honorary Consultant Psychiatrists.

All Consultant work closely with colleagues within the community teams, psychotherapy and psychology services, occupational therapy and the voluntary sector to provide an integrated, multidisciplinary service rooted in evidence based psychological, pharmacological and social interventions that works with service users to deliver care in the most appropriate and acceptable way.

The Consultants are supported by a variety of Associate Specialist and Staff grade doctors who play a vital role in the sustainability of the service on a day to day basis.

As well as their clinical role Consultant staff play an important part in the training and supervision of junior doctors and medical students. Consultants also have an important part to play in service development and adaptation to change. There are likely to be significant changes to the current psychiatric service over the next few years and the medical staff will have a vital part to play in these developments.