Postcards from the edge

Editor—Interested general practitioners may be the key to providing continuity of care to patients who self harm.¹,²

I am a general practitioner working in an inner city practice that serves many university students. The hospital emergency department sends a notification of attendance to the general practitioner of all patients who visit hospital having deliberately harmed themselves. Our general practice automatically sends letters inviting these patients to make a double appointment to see one of us so that we can provide local follow up and support. We asked the emergency department to be more precise when describing lacerations—accidental or deliberate—so we could target the correct group. About half the patients respond. About half the patients are already known to us as having mental health problems.