There is currently considerable interest in liaison psychiatry and recently a Royal College Special Interest Group has been set up in this field. Although few psychiatrists are employed full-time in this sub-speciality, it appears that much time is spent by psychiatrists in doing liaison work and this is likely to become more important with the increasing movement of psychiatrists into the District General Hospital (DGH). There is ample evidence to suggest that there is a high prevalence of psychiatric morbidity in a DGH population which can be seen as representing potential for expansion. However, there is no consensus as to the scope of liaison psychiatry, whether expansion would indeed be desirable and whether psychiatrists possess suitable skills for the job.