Psychiatry has an advantage over other medical disciplines in that its skills are ones that can be practised in almost any setting. Although this is a truism it is worth repeating as psychiatry is still strongly associated with hospital treatment in the public mind. This view is endorsed by the activities of most psychiatrists, who spend their working lives in psychiatric hospitals or in extensions of them such as out-patient clinics or day hospitals. The reasons for this are at least partly historical. The great mental hospital building programme of the 19th century was planned deliberately to set up hospitals in isolated areas away from the centre of the community they served (Scull, 1979). Many countries are still left with this legacy of mental quarantine and find it difficult to overcome its geographical handicaps. Although it is appreciated that more patients can be treated successfully outside hospital it is often easier to follow the maxim, “if in doubt don't keep them out” and admit patients who seem to need further assessment. This is understandable whilst most personnel are based within the hospital and is certainly easier than setting up alternative systems of care away from the hospital base.