Clinicians do not work in a vacuum or a time capsule. Even if they practise alone, there is a professional imperative to consider methods of improving the quality of care that they are providing for people with mental health problems, an issue that is increasingly in the gaze of international policymakers. Many primary care professionals work in extended teams, and all clinicians have to collaborate with other providers of care, particularly across the primary–specialist interface. How this interface should be organised for optimal efficiency remains a topic of hot debate.

The five chapters in Part III address themes that cut across clinical problems and conditions. They are concerned with mental health promotion, improving the quality of mental healthcare, the roles of different professionals, particularly practice nurses, and the expanding variety of psychological therapies that may be or should be accessible from primary care. Particular attention is also given to novel approaches to organising and configuring the interface: stepped and collaborative care.