Suicide plan to cover three regions

A single suicide prevention role is being considered for Wairarapa, Hutt, and Capital and Coast DHBs. FILE PHOTO

Employing one suicide prevention co-ordinator across the whole Wellington region is an option being explored by the DHB Service Integration and Development Unit (SIDU).

This one role would potentially cover Wairarapa, Hutt, and Capital and Coast DHBs following the cutting of Wairarapa DHB's suicide prevention co-ordinator role in June this year.

SIDU Acting Manager Sandra Williams said the reason Wairarapa DHB's suicide prevention co-ordinator role was cut in June was that the development of a sustainable community response, in line with the Wellington Region's Suicide Prevention and Postvention Plan, was "now complete".

This statement was made following the release of national suicide statistics that showed Wairarapa's suicide rate per 100,000 in its population was the third highest in the country over the past year.

"We have put funding aside to support the implementation of the Suicide Prevention and Postvention Plan in the community across the three DHBs - Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Capital and Coast," she said.

"It won't be just solely for Wairarapa which is different to what has happened in the past.

"This support may take the form of a co-ordinator across the region. SIDU will continue to support implementation of the Plan across three DHBs and will continue to work with providers to ensure it is sustained."

Members of the Wairarapa community have expressed their concern with the role's dissolution saying it has been a challenge to apply prevention and postvention strategies without a DHB suicide prevention co-ordinator, the role of which was established as part of a pilot programme involving Wairarapa and several other New Zealand DHBs in 2008.

"The Ministry of Health exited the contract nationally from the end of June 2014," Ms Williams said.

"These roles were never intended to be on-going."

Other DHBs involved in the same suicide prevention co-ordinator pilot programme as Wairarapa DHB have kept the co-ordinator as a permanent role including Auckland and Waitemata DHBs and Counties Manukau DHB.

Ms Williams said SIDU continued to fund Wairarapa DHB's suicide prevention co-ordinator role until June 2015 to help develop the 2015/17 Wellington Region's Suicide Prevention and Postvention Plan.

"The action plan is now complete and will be implemented over the next two years," she said.

"Many community agencies, groups, families/whanau and individuals were involved in contributing to and writing the plan which is for the Wairarapa, Hutt Valley and Wellington population.

"The plan builds on the work already under way. For the last five years, the three DHBs have been developing and implementing suicide prevention plans and have established community working groups in suicide prevention and postvention including training and health promotion."