HSE to move quickly in replacing suicide prevention officer
The resignation of Dr O’Keeffe represents another setback for the office after her predecessor Geoff Day quit the post, expressing concern about a lack of resources and staffing.
It is understood Dr O’Keeffe has moved to a new research post within the Department of Health.
HSE assistant national director for mental health Martin Rogan said yesterday the vacancy would have to be filled internally due to the Government’s moratorium on new posts in the public service.
Mr Rogan admitted the post of director was “a difficult job at a difficult time”.
However, he pointed out that the office’s budget had risen by €3m to €7m in 2012, although the increase would not allow for the recruitment of additional staff outside the health service.
Meanwhile, the National Office for Suicide Prevention’s forum in Dublin heard that 12,216 incidents of self-harm were presented at emergency departments in Irish hospitals last year.
Dr Eugene Cassidy, consultant psychiatrist at HSE South, said the preliminary results of a training initiative for emergency healthcare staff in Cork and Kerry had seen a positive change in their attitude to the prevention of self-harm and suicide and improved confidence in their management of patients with such problems.
Five key mental health professionals provided training to 270 staff at hospitals in the two counties as part of a “train the trainer” teaching model.
Professor Bill Shannon, president of the Irish College of General Practitioners, said one of the problems in dealing with suicide prevention was few young men going to their family doctor.
Prof Shannon described the cheap availability of alcohol combined with the impulsive nature of some young people as “a lethal cocktail”.
GP Patrick McSharry said a study by the college of primary care practitioners had found that 93% felt they were not adequately resourced to deal with suicidal patients.
Six in 10 family doctors said suicide had impacted on their practice, with 27% reporting that it had impacted on their subsequent relationship with the deceased person’s relatives.
The forum heard that a suicide prevention initiative, the Endeavour programme, established by the North Lee adult mental health services in Cork in 2010, had seen a dramatic reduction in the number of times people with a history of self-harm had reported to emergency departments of hospitals.
Dr Mary Kells said 12 participants had reported to emergency departments& a total of 49 times in the 12 months before taking part in the programme but only six times in the following year.
