Commitment 7
Key frontline mental health services, primary care and accident and emergency staff will be educated and trained in using suicide assessment tools/suicide prevention training programmes. 50% of target staff will be trained by 2010.
What has happened so far?
To support this commitment, key stakeholders were consulted to identify appropriate staff groups as well as suicide prevention training programmes currently being used in all sectors.
A draft Learning Framework was then developed. This gave guidance on the minimum recommended levels of training for these staff groups.
This Framework was 'road tested' at a one day conference on 20th September. The conference was attended by psychiatrists, psychologists and nurses as well as managers, Choose Life Co-ordinators and others ( Conference Report.)
The Learning Framework has been amended to take feedback from the consultation process into account.
The Scottish Government's action plan for Health and Wellbeing, Better Health, Better Care (2007) was published in December 2007 and within this document Commitment 7 was amended to include substance misuse staff, taking on board feedback from the consultation process.
Commitment 7 now states that:
" Key front line mental health and substance misuse services, primary care and accident and emergency staff will be educated and trained in using suicide assessment tools/suicide prevention training programmes. 50% of target staff will be trained by 2010."
Where are we now?
NHS Boards have been asked to provide clarity on the number of staff contained within the staff groups highlighted in the Learning Framework and to quantify the number of staff who will be required to meet Commitment 7 in their area.
In order to prepare for the increased delivery of suicide prevention training programmes contained within the Learning Framework, Training for Trainers events have been planned and NHS Boards have been invited to propose staff to become trainers.
Commitment 7 has been further supported by being included within the Core Set of HEAT Key Targets and Performance Measures for NHS Boards, and Boards are currently finalising their Local Delivery Plans in support of this.
Further information on suicide prevention training programmes can be accessed on the Choose Life website.