Meeting of the Parliament 12 September 2018
I am pleased to be able to speak in today’s debate. I remind Parliament that I am a nurse and that I am deputy convener of the Health and Sport Committee.
I, too, welcome the minister to her new role. Every life does matter and suicide is preventable, as the minister has said. Suicide is an extremely difficult subject to speak about, and just one person taking his or her life is one too many. Many of us across the chamber have already described personal experiences; I listened intently to my colleague Angela Constance talking about her experience in her job prior to coming to Parliament. Many of us have had constituents presenting with thoughts of ending their own lives, and it is our job to be there to help, support and listen to anyone who presents with mental health needs.
I would like to focus my comments on two aspects: the causes of suicide and suicide prevention, in particular in rural areas. I represent the South Scotland region. I often tell people I cover fae Dunbar tae Stranraer. It is a rural region. When assessing the Government’s “Every Life Matters” action plan, I specifically looked for evidence to support rural interventions. A planning tool is part of the guidance that has been set out in the national plan, and that national guidance on suicide prevention in rural areas is presented so that we can look at tackling suicide and prevention specifically in rural areas. It needs to be used in conjunction with part 2, which sets out the evidence-based approach.
There is a rationale for focusing on rural suicide. There have been significant changes over recent years in respect of the ageing population, the decline in farm incomes, economic pressures to diversify, increased environmental pressures and associated legislation, depopulation of some areas, changing labour markets, as well as increased international competition. However, no single pattern has yet emerged in the research in relation to the specific rural causes of suicide.
Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to meet former MSP Jim Hume, who is chairman of Support in Mind Scotland, which is a charity that carries out vital work to support people who work in our agricultural sector who are experiencing depression, feelings of isolation and suicidal thoughts. It does that by working collaboratively with NHS boards, third sector organisations and others, mainly by listening to people, directing them to professional support and reminding them that someone is there to help.
I would also like to give recognition to another organisation that supports our rural communities—the Royal Scottish Agricultural Benevolent Institution, which is also known as RSABI. Earlier this year, I met its chief executive officer, Nina Clancy. Nina said that RSABI aims to provide relief for hardship and poverty to people who work in Scottish agriculture. To date, it has helped many farmers, crofters and agricultural workers, who might also experience symptoms of poor mental health. RSABI has engaged with Police Scotland and has worked with firearms licence officers, who have agreed to provide RSABI contact information when they carry out firearms checks, which is important.
Of the 680 Scots who took their own lives in 2016, 20 lived in Dumfries and Galloway—two thirds of those were men. However, I will not focus on statistics today, because it is important to recognise that behind each number is an individual and their family, all of whom are affected by the tragedy. That is why it is extremely important for authorities, the Government and healthcare professionals to learn from each experience, to listen to families and to implement effective policies to ensure that such events are not repeated.
I welcome the commitment to mental health first-aid training, and I will endeavour to engage in it myself. As a general nurse, I have not engaged in such training before, but I will be happy to participate and will encourage others to do so. The training will allow for the creation of mental health first-aid responders, who can be trained to provide immediate emergency support.
Alex Cole-Hamilton mentioned the importance of face-to-face talking therapy, but I have seen digital technologies that can also be used, including the Thrive app, which I found when I was researching the information pages on the Brothers in Arms website. One comment about the app noted that it is not just for brothers in arms, but for sisters, too.