Suicide Prevention Activities - South Western Sydney PHN

⁠⁠⁠Suicide is the most common cause of death in Australians aged 15 to 44 years, accounting for around 2,500 deaths in Australia each year. In 2014, there were 2,864 suicide deaths, with suicide identified as having the highest years of potential life lost (97,066 years) of all causes of death. In addition to the premature loss of life, suicide can have a profound and lasting negative impact on families, workplaces and communities. Although the individual causes of suicide are complex, there are well recognised risk and protective factors which can be addressed to prevent suicide.

The Contributing Lives, Thriving Communities- Review of Mental Health Programmes and Services (the Review) highlighted concern within the community about the lack of coordination in suicide prevention programs and supplication between Commonwealth and state/territory efforts. Consultation undertaken by the Government reaffirmed support for a new, systems-based, regional approach to suicide prevention. There is particular imperative to improve follow-up for people who seek help for suicidal behaviors, especially in the high risk period following a suicide attempt, and to address the current inconsistency and ambiguity in responsibility for providing this follow-up which sometimes exists.

In October this year, the PHN conducted a Suicide Prevention Co-design session. Representation covered a broad spectrum of participants from the local police force, media, various not-for-profit organisations who provide mental health services across the south western Sydney (SWS) region, mental health medical practitioners, the South Western Sydney Local Health District, educators, survivors of suicide attempts and carers of people with mental health issues, and organisations supporting Culturally and Linguistically Diverse communities and young people. As a result of the co-design session, a number of key priorities were identified via a gap analysis between current suicide prevention methodologies deployed in the SWS region and the evidenced-based systems approach to suicide prevention as outlined in the Black Dog Institute report, An evidence-based systems approach to suicide prevention: guidance on planning, commission and monitoring, published in 2016 by the Commonwealth of Australia.

The priorities identified in the co-design session contribute to the suicide prevention activities to be commissioned by the PHN in this Request for Proposal.

The key outcomes the PHN is seeking to address in commissioning Suicide Prevention Activities are to:
* Enhance access to gatekeeper training opportunities through integration with existing service providers
* Develop and support suicide prevention and postvention networks across SWS
* Improve the coordination of response after a suicide attempt, to ensure that residents of South Western Sydney receive follow-up support, particularly following discharge from hospital.
* Reduce access to means for suicide through a coordinated approach with relevant organisations and improved data collection.