Minister McEntee launches suicide prevention action plan

Ireland's new European Affairs Minister, Helen McEntee, was in Cavan today to launch Connecting for Life Cavan and Monaghan suicide prevention action plan 2017 -2020 in Cavan Institute.
Deputy McEntee was appointed to the Brexit orientated role by Taoiseach Leo Varadkar today. The Minister said that the local action plan is based on the same vision, goals, objectives and measurable outcomes as outlined in Connecting for Life, Ireland’s National Strategy to Reduce Suicide 2015 – 2020.
Connecting for Life sets out a vision where fewer lives are lost through suicide, and where communities and individuals are empowered to improve their mental health and wellbeing.
Service user, Alison O’ Reilly, is a consumer panel member. Speaking at today’s launch Ms O'Reilly said that that too many lives have been lost by people having to be too strong for too long: “I believe that this action plan has the potential to help individuals avail of effective preventative measures that will save lives.'
Padraig O’Beirne, Area Director of Nursing and Chair of the Cavan Monaghan Suicide Prevention Steering Group said communities were consulted through a variety of methods including public meetings, focus groups, facilitated workshops and postcard and online survey submissions: “The broad selection of mechanisms employed to engage with the general public and with specific target groups led to over 1,100 persons participating in the process representing a wide cross-section of the community.”
In his address at the launch Feargal Leonard, the Acting Executive Clinical Director of Cavan Monaghan Mental Health Service said that Connecting for Life Cavan and Monaghan has 62 distinct actions based on the National Strategic Goals and Objectives: “These actions will ensure that the people of Cavan and Monaghan have a better understanding of suicidal behaviour, that communities are supported to respond to and prevent suicidal behaviour, that there are targeted approaches for people that are more vulnerable, that access to and consistency of services are improved and that these services are safe and of high quality.”
There have been significant developments in Cavan and Monaghan in the area of suicide prevention over the past two years. During 2016, a range of suicide prevention training programmes were delivered resulting in 450 people receiving training in safeTALK (suicide alertness training) and 131 people trained in ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training). Further staff have been trained locally to increase capacity to deliver these courses to those who need them.
Other recent developments include the employment of a Clinical Nurse Specialist, specifically for Self Harm presentations in the Emergency Department of Cavan General Hospital. The Mental Health Service has also developed a psychiatric liaison team, initially comprising of a consultant psychiatrist and two clinical nurse specialists. This team is operating from within Cavan General Hospital.
Launching the plan Minister McEntee commended the hard work of all involved: “The Cavan Monaghan suicide prevention steering group was established in June 2016 with the aim of developing an integrated action plan to assist in the prevention of suicide and self-harm and the promotion of positive mental health in Cavan and Monaghan. The plan launched today is the result of the hard work of a large number of individuals, community groups, statutory and non-government agencies, working together to promote positive mental health. I congratulate all involved in the creation of this plan.”
She concluded by saying that the suicide prevention plan sets out a roadmap to address suicide and self-harm: “It is important that we all continue to work together, at all levels, to identify people at risk and to ensure that appropriate services are in place to provide the help and support needed. If we do this, I believe that we will achieve our goal of fewer lives lost to suicide.”
For more information on Connecting for Life Cavan and Monaghan and to access the full document, go to www.connectingforlifecavanmonaghan.ie