Psychiatric units in general hospitals.

Psychiatric units in general hospitals will, increasingly, play a larger part in the delivery of psychiatric services to the community. Australian units are compared with those in England and Wales. It is very difficult to envisage the widespread adoption in Australia of large comprehensive district general hospital psychiatric units similar to those planned for Britain. A current challenge to existing psychiatric units in the large teaching hospitals in the capital cities of Australia is whether they will take on a catchment area responsibility, or remain independent of any plans for regionalization of psychiatric services.