Meeting of the Parliament 12 September 2018
If the member lets me progress a little bit further, I will explain a bit more about what the leadership group will do.
I am delighted to say that Rose Fitzpatrick, former deputy chief constable at Police Scotland, has agreed to chair the group. Rose has considerable experience at senior level of delivering success. She has my complete support in her new role, and I look forward to working closely with her to realise our vision.
In June, we announced that we are providing an additional £3 million between 2018 and 2021 to support our increased ambition on reducing the rate of suicide in Scotland. The additional funding is intended to enable service development, particularly in the areas of implementing learning from each suicide and improving support for those bereaved.
Earlier this week, I took part in a conversation cafe, which is an initiative by the Railway Mission in partnership with ScotRail, Network Rail, British Transport Police, the breathing space service and Samaritans. The conversation café is an informal means by which staff of those organisations can engage with passengers, share information about the promotion of good mental health and provide contact details for services that are available to support people experiencing mental health problems.
On my train journey through Fife, it was evident that people thought that starting a conversation about mental health could be difficult, but not one person I spoke with thought that it was not important.
Three amendments to my motion for the debate have been lodged. Regarding the queries raised in the amendment from Annie Wells, the national suicide prevention leadership group is accountable to me as Minister for Mental Health and to COSLA on issues within the competence of local authorities. In December 2018, we will publish the leadership group’s work plan. An annual report will be published from September 2019. The leadership group will make recommendations to me and to COSLA on appropriate prioritisation of actions and related funding.
I acknowledge the points raised in the amendments from Alex Cole-Hamilton and Mary Fee, which I am happy to accept.
I am confident that, by working together across sectors, organisations and society, we can better identify and support people in distress, strengthen communities and save lives. I look forward to working with partners during the coming months and years to implement the step change in suicide prevention that challenges the status quo and ensures that we continue the strong long-term downward trend in suicide in Scotland. We are ambitious for change because every life matters.
I move,
That the Parliament welcomes the Suicide Prevention Action Plan; extends its sympathy to all those bereaved by suicide; believes that every life matters and that no death by suicide is either acceptable or inevitable; acknowledges the dedication, expertise and hard work of all those who have contributed to a 20% reduction in the suicide rate since 2002; accepts that there is far more work to do; supports the determination for a step change in suicide prevention; accepts the vision for a Scotland where suicide is preventable, where help and support is available to anyone contemplating suicide and to those who have lost someone to suicide; calls on leaders at national, regional and local level to transform society’s response and attitudes towards suicide; recognises the need for further collective action to prevent deaths by suicide; supports the additional £3 million investment, and the establishing of a National Suicide Prevention Leadership Group chaired by the former deputy chief constable, Rose Fitzpatrick; agrees with the target to further reduce the rate of suicide by 20% by 2022, and commends the partnership approach across sectors, organisations and society to better identify and support people in distress, to strengthen communities and to save lives.