Call for suicide services audit

AN immediate audit of all suicide prevention services is needed to uncover the “true failure” of Government to adequately tackle the issue, a leading charity has claimed.

Speaking before today’s launch of a dedicated 24-hour national help line specifically for people at risk of suicide, Turning the Tide of Suicide (3Ts) chairman Noel Smyth said the move was a vital step towards tackling an issue he described as “the scourge of Ireland”.

He said the audit should be allowed to examine the geographical, financial and staff issues surrounding state suicide prevention.

Mr Smyth said it would find a “chronic lack of funding” meant people were being starved of the support they needed. He said while Health Service Executive (HSE) services were in place, they were “ineffective and understaffed”.

He added the audit’s conclusions should force the Government to create an independent body to campaign for improved suicide prevention services.

The new help line has been organised and funded solely by the 3Ts and suicide support group Console.

Console founder Paul Kelly said the 1Life help line will go live from 1pm.

* To contact the 1Life help line, call free phone [phone].

* To contact the HSE help line, call free phone [phone] (6pm to 10pm).