Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I propose to take Questions Nos. 76 and 131 together.

Suicide is a tragedy that we are constantly working to prevent, and we are also working to give more support to the families affected. Dealing with the current high levels of suicide and deliberate self-harm is a priority for this Government, and significant additional funding has been provided in recent years to address this issue. Reach Out, our national strategy for action on suicide prevention, makes a number of recommendations, including fast-track referrals to community-based mental health services, effective responses to deliberate self-harm, training, reducing stigma and promoting positive mental health, initiatives aimed at helping young men, and further research. The National Office for Suicide Prevention, NOSP, has implemented most of the Reach Outrecommendations in a four-way strategy: delivering a general population approach to mental health promotion and suicide prevention; using targeted programmes for people at high risk of suicide; delivering services to individuals who have engaged in deliberate self harm; and providing support to families and communities bereaved by suicide.

Funding for suicide prevention is provided to the NOSP by the HSE from its overall budget for mental health. The annual budget for suicide prevention increased this year to €13.1 million. Of this, €8.1 million is provided to the NOSP to fund voluntary and statutory agencies delivering services in the areas of prevention, intervention, postvention and research.

The remaining €5 million for suicide prevention measures is available regionally to fund HSE resource officers for suicide prevention, self-harm liaison nurses in hospital emergency departments and local suicide prevention initiatives.

The National Office for Suicide Prevention, NOSP, has been reviewing its current activities to make the most of available resources, including looking at best practice internationally to inform evidence-based policy decisions. This review will result in a revised strategic approach to suicide prevention for the remainder of 2013 and inform the final phase of the Reach Out strategy which runs until 2014. I expect the HSE will approve the revised approach in the very near future.

To get maximum benefit from the investment in suicide prevention measures and ensure a co-ordinated response to the needs of those at risk of or affected by suicide, the NOSP will continue to co-ordinate the work of the many voluntary, statutory and non-statutory organisations working in this area. By promoting cross-organisational collaboration, the development of networks and partnerships, skills sharing and service development, the NOSP hopes to maximise the impact of suicide prevention measures and support networks to ensure it reaches and responds effectively to people who are vulnerable. It is working to integrate current programmes to reduce duplication within the sector and provide a strategic framework for the co-ordination of the extensive range of actions in this area.

Priority suicide prevention initiatives identified for this year include the further development of existing national mental health awareness campaigns to promote help seeking, increased training for general practitioners and practice staff, building the capacity of communities to respond to suicide, implementation of the clinical care programme on self-harm which will include the funding of nursing posts in hospital emergency departments, training of acute hospital staff on suicide and self-harm intervention measures and the development of the SCAN, suicide crisis assessment nurse, model which allows for crisis interventions at primary care level and continued investment in voluntary agencies providing front-line services.

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