In August 1989 the NHS Management Executive of the Department of Health issued Health Authorities with Circular HC(89)24 which lays down planning guidelines and resource assumptions for 1990/91. In five terse pages, the document sets the scene for the Government's priority health issues over the next two years. Several of these issues are of interest and importance to psychiatrists, as they are concerned with the implementation of the White Paper Caring for People: Community Care in the Next Decade and Beyond. Health Authorities are asked to “identify the health care needs of their populations” and to set targets, based on reports of their Directors of Public Health, to improve the overall health of their population.

Most papers require a summary, including literature reviews. Something snappy is recommended: why was the study done, how was it done, what was found, and so what? Four sentences should suffice — it is, after all, a summary. Some authors include an analysis, a consideration, a few ifs and buts, and a good deal of reflection.