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| Wales unveils strategy on suicide | Wales unveils strategy on suicide |
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| Teachers, GPs, employment advisers and police will be trained to spot signs of mental health problems as part of a plan to reduce Wales' suicide rate. | Teachers, GPs, employment advisers and police will be trained to spot signs of mental health problems as part of a plan to reduce Wales' suicide rate. |
| A 24-hour helpline will also be launched. | A 24-hour helpline will also be launched. |
| Assembly government officials say lessons have been learned for the £10m strategy from the recent spate of apparent suicides in the Bridgend area. | Assembly government officials say lessons have been learned for the £10m strategy from the recent spate of apparent suicides in the Bridgend area. |
| Relatives of some of the victims have complained it has taken too long for Wales to produce such a scheme. | Relatives of some of the victims have complained it has taken too long for Wales to produce such a scheme. |
| Early help | Early help |
| Staff working in schools, job centres, GP surgeries and police stations will be trained on how to recognise early signs of mental health problems. | Staff working in schools, job centres, GP surgeries and police stations will be trained on how to recognise early signs of mental health problems. |
| The Mental Health First Aid training programme has been running in some parts of Wales but will now be rolled out across the country. By next March, 75 instructors are expected to be running courses around Wales. | The Mental Health First Aid training programme has been running in some parts of Wales but will now be rolled out across the country. By next March, 75 instructors are expected to be running courses around Wales. |
| SUICIDE STRATEGY SUMMARY The Welsh Assembly Government will invest £10m in old and new money on a five-year action planA new mental health first aid programme, partly funded by the lottery, will train 75 instructors to work with teachers, job centre, and GP surgery staffFrontline staff will be trained to recognise signs of distress and point towards specialist helpThe first national Samaritans co-ordinator for Wales to manage voluntary servicesA 24 hour phone and text messaging service costing £400,000, will support those experiencing mental health problemsSource: Welsh Assembly Government BBC Wales political editor Betsan Powys' blog on the strategyNational Action Plan to Reduce Suicide and Self Harm | |
| A 24-hour mental health helpline will also be launched. | A 24-hour mental health helpline will also be launched. |
| The assembly government said almost three-quarters of those who commit suicide in Wales are unknown to mental health services in the year before they die. | The assembly government said almost three-quarters of those who commit suicide in Wales are unknown to mental health services in the year before they die. |
| Health Minister Edwina Hart said the "culture" around mental health issues needed to be changed "so that the signs can be identified, and support provided, at an earlier stage". | Health Minister Edwina Hart said the "culture" around mental health issues needed to be changed "so that the signs can be identified, and support provided, at an earlier stage". |
| She said: "Every suicide is a tragedy with a life and family member lost. | She said: "Every suicide is a tragedy with a life and family member lost. |
| "For those left behind suicide leaves a wound that in many cases never heals. | "For those left behind suicide leaves a wound that in many cases never heals. |
| "There are already a significant number of initiatives in Wales which are delivering support, but this action plan pulls them together and extends their reach to provide a co-ordinated approach across Wales." | "There are already a significant number of initiatives in Wales which are delivering support, but this action plan pulls them together and extends their reach to provide a co-ordinated approach across Wales." |
| Asked whether he would have been launching an anti-suicide plan on Tuesday had it not been for the attention on Bridgend, Wales' chief medical officer, Dr Tony Jewell said: "I personally don't think so." | Asked whether he would have been launching an anti-suicide plan on Tuesday had it not been for the attention on Bridgend, Wales' chief medical officer, Dr Tony Jewell said: "I personally don't think so." |
| Some 23 young people from the Bridgend area have apparently taken their own lives since the beginning of 2007. | Some 23 young people from the Bridgend area have apparently taken their own lives since the beginning of 2007. |
| Phill Chick, head of mental health development at the Welsh assembly government said lessons had been learned from the Bridgend experience but he stressed that the strategy was aimed at all of Wales. | Phill Chick, head of mental health development at the Welsh assembly government said lessons had been learned from the Bridgend experience but he stressed that the strategy was aimed at all of Wales. |
| "This is not a Bridgend specific issue," he said. | "This is not a Bridgend specific issue," he said. |
| "This is something which affects communities across Wales and I think we need to be clear about that when launch our national plan. | "This is something which affects communities across Wales and I think we need to be clear about that when launch our national plan. |
| "Certainly it's something which accelerated the work and the minister was clear she wanted this work brought forward rapidly as an action plan -- and that's what we have done. | "Certainly it's something which accelerated the work and the minister was clear she wanted this work brought forward rapidly as an action plan -- and that's what we have done. |
| "So it has been something we have taken into consideration and we've certainly worked very closely with the people in Bridgend." | "So it has been something we have taken into consideration and we've certainly worked very closely with the people in Bridgend." |
| The plan is based on an Australian strategy, which has also been introduced in Scotland. | The plan is based on an Australian strategy, which has also been introduced in Scotland. |
| Mental health charity Mind Cymru said the project was not about turning people into "experts in mental health". | Mental health charity Mind Cymru said the project was not about turning people into "experts in mental health". |
| Policy officer Gareth Jones said: "It's just help, as you would with first aid." | Policy officer Gareth Jones said: "It's just help, as you would with first aid." |
| Personal difficulties | Personal difficulties |
| He said people often found it difficult to ask someone in distress whether they had suicidal thoughts. | He said people often found it difficult to ask someone in distress whether they had suicidal thoughts. |
| "By asking that question you give people permission to talk about it. In the same way that we don't like to ask it, people don't like to talk about it," he added. | "By asking that question you give people permission to talk about it. In the same way that we don't like to ask it, people don't like to talk about it," he added. |
| The Samaritans welcomed the training, saying encouraging people to talk more about personal difficulties and get help quickly was something the Samaritans had been doing for years. | The Samaritans welcomed the training, saying encouraging people to talk more about personal difficulties and get help quickly was something the Samaritans had been doing for years. |
| A new coordinator for the charity is to cost £100,000. | A new coordinator for the charity is to cost £100,000. |
| On average, about 300 people die by suicide each year in Wales, a lower rate than in Scotland, but higher than England. | On average, about 300 people die by suicide each year in Wales, a lower rate than in Scotland, but higher than England. |
| However, while suicide rates in Scotland have fallen, they remain roughly the same in Wales. | However, while suicide rates in Scotland have fallen, they remain roughly the same in Wales. |