Throughout his career, he carried out a considerable amount of forensic work. He was widely involved in the planning and design of new hospitals in the north of England and Scotland, always working in close association with the charity MIND. On appointment to the Greaves Hall Hospital, Southport, in 1973, he provided a model for community-based services that was influential both locally and nationally. On returning to England, he took up a post in Peterborough and Cambridge, where he again set up services in a general hospital unit rather than the then traditional model based on subnormality hospitals. Throughout his working life, he championed a person-orientated approach to the care of patients with severe mental health problems and learning difficulties, moving away from the ‘asylum’ principle of care towards a more integrated, community-based approach that still recognised the important role of residential units. The new service was based on community involvement and divisional responsibility.

He carried out a complete reorganisation of the mental health and mental subnormality services. He then spent 2 years in Canada from 1969 to 1971, where he was appointed Director of Mental Health Services for the Province of New Brunswick.

After postgraduate training, he held consultant posts in the north of England and in Scotland. Peter Sykes, who died aged 86 in March 2017, was a pioneer in the field of the psychiatry of learning disorders. Formerly Consultant Psychiatrist, Greaves Hall Hospital, Banks, Southport, UK.

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