The Pathways to Care Project examined processes and mechanisms in place across Australia to respond to, and provide care for; people at high/imminent risk of suicide. The type of support a person at high/imminent risk of suicide receives is influenced by factors such as the way in which they come into contact with the care system, differences in state and territory legislation, and the availability of resources in local areas. It is vital to gain a more in-depth understanding of the ways in which people at high/imminent risk of suicide access services which seek to prevent lethal self-harming behaviours at the crisis or 'acute' stage, and examine how those services respond to persons at high/imminent suicide risk, as well as ways in which acute care services link patients into follow-up care. Existing information suggests that the primary entry point to care for people at high/imminent risk of suicide is through hospital Emergency Departments, hence the study focuses on hospitals.