OBJECTIVES 9.1 Medical Social Workers (MSWs) station at hospitals and clinics to provide timely psycho-social intervention to patients and their families and help them cope with or solve problems arising from illness, trauma or disability. As a member of the clinical team, MSWs play an important role in linking up the medical and social services to facilitate patients’ recovery and rehabilitation in the community.   SERVICE PROVISION 9.2 As at 31 March 2011, the Social Welfare Department (SWD) had an establishment of 400 MSWs. In 2010-11, the MSWs served around 179 000 cases. The distribution of MSWs in general and psychiatric settings is shown in Chart 14 whereas the total number of cases served by MSWs for the years 2007-08 to 2010-11 is in Chart 15 below:     9.3 There are 33 Medical Social Services Units (MSSUs) managed by SWD in various hospitals/clinics. These MSSUs can be broadly classified into psychiatric and general settings. MSWs in the psychiatric setting station at psychiatric hospitals and outpatient clinics while those in the general setting station at general hospitals and specialist outpatient clinics. In general, MSWs provide counselling services to needy patients and their families and to collaborate closely with medical and allied health professionals through case conferences, meetings, ward rounds and social reports, etc. in formulating and implementing treatment/discharge/rehabilitation plans for patients. MSWs may also be involved in community health care by organising public education and mass programmes related to health issues.