Patient Suicide Risk

About this Item
Speakers - Meagher Ms Reba; Refshauge Dr Andrew
Business - Questions Without Notice

PATIENT SUICIDE RISK

Ms MEAGHER: My question without notice is to the Deputy Premier, Minister for Health, and Minister for Aboriginal Affairs. What steps is the Government taking to protect patients at risk of suicide?

Dr REFSHAUGE: Every year in New South Wales 700 people take their lives. But deaths from suicide paint only part of a grim picture. It is estimated that each year between 60,000 and 90,000 people exhibit suicidal behaviour and as many as 30,000 people attempt suicide. It is further estimated that between 7,000 and 15,000 people will present to care following a suicide attempt, most of those to an emergency department. Every suicide and every attempted suicide impacts on the community, affecting the families, friends, colleagues and carers of patients and those at risk.

Suicides and attempted suicides take a devastating toll on our community - a toll that we as the Government are working to reduce. Today we are launching new health guidelines to enhance the safety of patients at risk of suicide. The document entitled "Policy Guidelines for the Management of Patients with Possible Suicidal Behaviour" will assist health staff to recognise and manage suicidal behaviour in their patients. The guidelines have been designed for New South Wales Health staff, and staff in private hospital facilities, as important resources in helping them to identify patients at risk of suicide, and in working to protect those patients.

These important resources have been developed with extensive consultation to provide staff with explicit guidelines and simple, practical advice on dealing with these very difficult and sensitive issues. The guidelines acknowledge that health staff are in a vital position to identify people at risk of suicide and to prevent suicide. They set out steps to recognise and manage suicidal behaviour with specific guidelines for staff in six key settings. The appropriate guidelines are detailed for each of those six settings: general community health services, emergency departments, general hospital wards, mental health in-patient facilities, community mental health services, and corrections health services. The Government is determined to give health staff every support to help patients in danger of harming themselves or attempting suicide. This important initiative is part of the Carr Government’s $15 million suicide prevention strategy, launched by the Premier in October last year.

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This landmark strategy works on the basis that we can all make a difference in preventing suicide. It takes a comprehensive multifaceted approach to making a real difference - with early intervention programs, community training programs, schools programs, and specialist mental health programs for young people, Aboriginal communities, and children with severe conduct and emotional disorders. The Carr Government has identified mental health as a clear priority - a clear priority of putting families first with better health services, and better strategies to prevent illness. The Government has increased mental health spending to more than $450 million per annum, appointed 150 new mental health workers, and ensured increased child and adolescent mental health services in every rural area health service.

Mrs Skinner: What a joke!

Dr REFSHAUGE: The honourable member for North Shore thinks it is a joke that the Government would provide increased child and adolescent mental health services in country areas. I do not think it is a joke. It is about time she put patients before politics.

Mr SPEAKER: Order! I call the honourable member for North Shore to order.

Dr REFSHAUGE: The Government is committed to reducing the damage that suicide wreaks on our families and our communities. The launch of these guidelines represents another important milestone in our drive to prevent suicide. Together we can work to prevent needless and senseless tragedies, to help patients and their families towards a positive and fulfilling future.

Last modified 05/12/2007 16:29:34 : Update this page