General Hospital Services for Attempted Suicide Patients: a Survey in one Region

A survey of the general hospital services for attempted suicide patients in the former Oxford Region (UK) indicated that most hospitals fell short of the standards contained in the Department of Health 1984 guidelines and the recently established Royal College of Psychiatrists guidelines, particularly with regard to active planning & monitoring of the service, involvement of non-medical clinical staff, availability of the service, & the training of staff. (14 refs.)