Newly appointed consultants in old age psychiatry and the adequacy of higher training

This paper reports on a survey of newly appointed consultants in old age psychiatry. The Questionnaire asked for opinions on the adequacy of higher training in a number of areas such as clinical, management, teaching, supervision and research. In addition views were sought on particularly valuable experiences in preparation for consultancy. The results show that overall clinical training was judged to be good, while training in some non-clinical areas, especially management, was found to be insufficient. The importance of management training Is emphasised and some valuable training experiences are highlighted.