What should prompt an urgent referral to a community mental health team?

Background There is often little guidance to advise general practitioners on whether a referral to a community mental health team should be classified as 'urgent' or not.Aims (1) To identify the proportion and appropriateness of referrals considered urgent by the referrer; (2) To develop a set of criteria to guide what should constitute an 'urgent' referral.Methods One hundred consecutive referral letters to a community mental health team were analysed to determine the proportion that were considered urgent by the referrer compared to a consensus panel of psychiatrists.