Meeting of the Parliament 12 September 2018
No, thank you. I want to make progress.
I have put written questions to the Scottish Government, and I am describing the answers that I have received. I would like to receive confirmation from the minister that suicide prevention training will not become lost among mental health training more generally. The Scottish Association for Mental Health raised the point that it is vital that any new training—whether it is in schools or hospitals—includes the provision of skills to actively intervene when someone is experiencing thoughts of suicide. Given the success of the ASIST programme, which provides participants with those skills and which has been shown to significantly improve outcomes for people who receive an intervention, it is vital that suicide prevention training remains distinct. I ask the minister whether that will be the case.
Of course, suicide prevention is about more than just policy; it is also about raising public awareness and looking at what we can do as individuals. Monday was world suicide prevention day, and it was very welcome to see a whole host of posts being shared far and wide on social media, spreading the message about it being okay to talk.
In the past year, male suicide has been raised as a major plot line in soaps, and we have seen the on-going tireless work of charities that provide invaluable support to those who have lost loved ones and those who require expert support when they are feeling at their most vulnerable. We must continue to ensure that such charities have the resources to carry out their remarkable work.
Unfortunately, given time constraints, I am not able to give all the credit that is deserved, but I want to thank all those who helped to shape the Government’s new suicide prevention plan. I hope that the creation of the plan will become known as a pivotal moment in helping to tackle suicide rates in Scotland.
I reiterate my call for the suicide prevention strategy to be implemented and delivered quickly and effectively with no further delays. Suicide remains a main cause of avoidable death in Scotland and is all the more heartbreaking for the families who are involved, so it should be a priority for any Government. We need to remember that we are talking about real people who need the Government to do the right thing—they deserve that.
I move amendment S5M-13847, to insert after “Rose Fitzpatrick;”:
“asks that the Scottish Government provides detail on the accountability of the leadership group and how and when the group will report to the Parliament on action delivery timescales and how funding will be allocated;”.
15:05Motions, questions or amendments mentioned by their reference code.