Choose Life (Suicide Prevention) Choose Life (Suicide Prevention) FifeFife

Healthy Working Lives meeting24th September 2014

Dorothy WoolleyChoose Life Development Officer

Choose Life (Suicide Choose Life (Suicide Prevention)Prevention)

• Choose Life – national agenda and action plan to prevent suicide in Scotland

• Launched in 2002 by the Scottish Executive and ran for ten years to the end of 2013

• Brand is being carried forward through the new suicide prevention strategy

• Runs to the end of 2016

Suicide Prevention StrategySuicide Prevention Strategy2013-20162013-2016

• New national suicide prevention strategy came into effect from December 2013

• Strategy has 5 key themes and 11 commitments linked to the themes

• Available at http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2013/12/7616/downloads#res439429

ThemesThemes

• Responding to people in distress

• Talking about suicide

• Improving the NHS response to suicide

• Developing the evidence base

• Supporting change and innovation

Responding to people in distressResponding to people in distress• Commitment 1 – Take forward work on self-harm as part

of a publication on responding to people in distress• Commitment 2 – Develop and extend workforce

development activity addressing a wider range of experience and contexts including families and communities (NHS Health Scotland and NHS Education for Scotland)

• Commitment 3 – Map existing arrangements for responding to people in distress and use this information to develop guidance which supports safety and person-centredness

• Commitment 4 – Look at how existing data sources can be better used in relation to people presenting at A&E in distress and support improvement programmes aimed at informing service responses for those at risk of suicide or repeat attendance

Talking about suicideTalking about suicide

• Commitment 5 – Scottish Government, NHS Health Scotland, See Me and others will develop and implement an engagement strategy to influence public perception about suicide and the stigma surrounding it, and communicate key messages about suicide and it’s prevention

Improving the NHS response to suicideImproving the NHS response to suicide

• Commitment 6 – Work with Healthcare Improvement Scotland to support improvements for NHS Boards that focus on areas of practice which will make mental health services safer for people at risk of suicide

• Commitment 7 – Work Royal College of General Practitioners and other stakeholders to develop approaches to ensure more regular review of those on long-term drug treatment for mental illness

• Commitment 8 – Build on Commitment 22 of the Mental Health Strategy to test ways of improving detection and treatment of depression and anxiety in people with other long term conditions

Developing the evidence baseDeveloping the evidence base

• Commitment 9 – Continue to fund the work of the Scottish Suicide Information Database and the National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide and contribute to developing evidence base in partnership with statutory, voluntary sector and academic partners

Supporting Change & ImprovementSupporting Change & Improvement

• Commitment 10 - NHS Health Scotland will continue to host the Choose Life National Programme for Suicide Prevention and continue to provide leadership and direction for local Choose Life co-ordinators and in respect of other health improvement aspects of suicide prevention

• Commitment 11 – Set up arrangements to monitor progress with the implementation of all commitments in the strategy

Fife Choose LifeFife Choose Life

• Multidisciplinary steering group

• Choose Life Co-ordinator – Jo-Anne Valentine

• Development Officer – Dorothy Woolley

Projects funded through FHWAProjects funded through FHWA

• Self-harm project – Penumbra– Those aged over 18 involved in a self-harm incident– Based in Dunfermline– Information and support including solution focused brief therapy

where appropriate.

• Adolescent befriending service – LINK– 12 to 18 year olds with mental health issues– Based in North East Fife and Levenmouth for run by LINK– Volunteer befrienders - Clients usually meet with their

befrienders either weekly or fortnightly for an hour or two

Projects funded through FHWAProjects funded through FHWA

• Enhanced befriending service for elderly people – Contact the Elderly– 5 active groups in Fife – Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline, Glenrothes,

Cupar/St Andrews (Jolly Fifers), Fife Arts Group– Monthly outings for isolated old folk on a Sunday afternoon.– Clients are taken to a host’s house to meet for afternoon tea and

a chat

• Support for those bereaved by suicide – CRUSE Bereavement Care Scotland

• Kirkcaldy and Dunfermline branches of the Samaritans– Help with volunteer training, volunteer expenses and publicity.

Fife Suicide StatisticsFife Suicide StatisticsFife Suicides by Sex 2004 - 2013

(* Old coding rules used to enable retrospective comparison)

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011* 2012* 2013*

Year

Nu

mb

er

Males

Females

Persons

Rate

Myths around SuicideMyths around Suicide

• People who talk about suicide never attempt or complete suicide

• If someone wants to end their life, they will, and there’s nothing anybody can do about it

• There is a ‘type’ for suicide• Asking about suicide will put the idea into

a person’s head

What you can do to helpWhat you can do to help

• Talking about suicide in an open and frank way

• Look out for warning signs• If you are concerned about someone ask

them if they are feeling suicidal• Listen actively to what they have to say• Show you care• Never promise secrecy

Suicide Prevention TrainingSuicide Prevention Training

• safeTALK

• ASIST Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training)

• Scottish Mental Health First Aid

• In Health Improvement Training Programme

Useful ResourcesUseful Resources

• Choose Life website – www.chooselife.net also www.chooselife.net/ask

• Campaign materialsSuicide. Don’t hide it. Talk about it – www.healthscotland.com/documents/2848.aspxRead between the lines –www.healthscotland.com/documents/22062.aspx

• Keep Connected Fife – https://bitly.com/TxNpFN• Health Improvement Training Programme –

www.healthyfife.net