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Urgent psychiatric assessment in an inner-city A&E department

Institute of Psychiatry, London SE5 8AZ

Dora Kohen, Consultant Psychiatrist^*

Homerton Hospital, Homerton Row, London E9 6SR

^* Correspondence

Data on day time referrals to a liaison psychiatry team from an inner London accident and emergency department (A&E) were analysed over a two-year period. Despite the availability of local community-based alternatives for urgent assessment almost 5000 patients were seen. A quarter were self-referrals and two-thirds had had no previous contact with psychiatric services. The most common reason for referral was aggressive or disruptive behaviour. Characteristics of patients in this inner-city population suggest a continuing need for a high quality liaison service to the A&E department.