1. Building Capacity Locally
North West Reducing Suicide
Summit 2013
Manchester
Barry McGale
Suicide Liaison Officer
Western Health & Social Care Trust

2. “Postvention is prevention for the
next generation” (Shneidman, 1993)

3. Why implement a Community Response
Plan
• One of the major concerns around suicides is
the “cluster” effect, a process whereby one
suicide can trigger a number of similar suicides.
• This can relate to geography, gender, age
grouping, ethnic groups, methodology etc.
–
• It is important that potential clusters are
identified at the earliest opportunity and an
early intervention response put in place.

4. Purpose of CRP
• To prevent the development of clusters of
suicide occurring in the local area.
• To facilitate early detection of such clusters
and to provide a timely response by all
sectors of the community to address the
problem and prevent further deaths
occurring.

5. Community Response Plan
“Every effort should be made to promote and
implement the proposed plan as a
community endeavour…
…No single agency has the resources or
expertise to adequately respond to an
evolving suicide cluster”
(Centre for Disease Control, USA, 1988)

6. SD1 Forms
• Police District
• Date Life was declared extinct
• Gender
• Age
• Suspected Cause of Death
• Name & Address
• Nationality
• GP, if known
• Location
• Methodology
• If the individual was known mental health services
• If next of kin had been informed
• If next of kin were aware that it was suspected suicide
• If next of kin wanted to be contacted by Health & Social Care staff

7. Criteria to activate full CRP
• How individual is perceived within the
community
• Potential for media interest
• Unusual circumstances surrounding death
• Perception by the community that there has been
a rise in suicide over relatively short time period
• Statistics identify that a cluster may be emerging.
Can be identified through –
1.the SD1 process; and
2.community awareness
• Members have a duty of care

8. Trust/PHA Monitor Suicides
(SD1/Family/Community etc)
HSC Test the Criteria
(If not deemed a suspected Cluster – record Decision)
Debrief and support of Committee
Learning from plan implemented
Action 2:
Agree a process to work with
media
Action 3:
Identify and support those at
risk
Stand down Committee
Review actions and level of risk, further actions, and
interventions until situation settles
Action 1:
Provide support for
family/friends/Community
If Concerns - Convene Local Co-ordinating Committee to
decide if plan should be implemented
Flowchart of SD1

9. CRP Response Levels
Level 1:
Concerns raised: Telephone/round table
discussion to review evidence: Decision recorded:
Continued monitoring
Level 2:
Increased surveillance: Promotion of support:
Decision recorded: Continued monitoring
Level 3:
Full implementation including targeted
interventions: Stand-down & evaluation: Decision
recorded

10. CRP Review
Stage 1: Recording Process
Date:
Lead:
Trigger:
Review Group:
Evidence:
Determination:
Action:
Signed: Organisation:
Role: Date:

11. What is
CLEAR?
Partnership led, capacity
building project for
community & voluntary
sector organisations
providing mental health and
emotional well being
services

12. CLEAR Vision
“Increased access to appropriate services
for people when they need it, where they
need it, by forging strong and sustainable
links between community and statutory
sector service providers”

13. Who are CLEAR?
• Funded by the Public Health Agency as an Integrated
Community Delivery Programme (ICDP)
• Facilitated by Derry Healthy Cities
• Managed by a steering group encompassing
representatives from a wide range of community,
voluntary and statutory sector organisations

14. Role of CLEAR in
Community Response Plan
• Ensure community groups have skills to assist them should
a suicide occur through development opportunities
• Provide networking opportunities to raise awareness of
relevant services to ensure individuals are clear where to
access support
• Common Organisational Standards to ensure confidence
when accessing services.
• Improvement of referral procedures

15. Benefits of the Standards
• Better quality for service users.
• Improved service user involvement
• Greater confidence when sign-posting / making
referrals to other organisations
• Greater credibility with funders
• Continuous professional development (CPD)
for the organisations, staff & volunteers.
• Enhanced working practices

16. “Only by us all
recognising our part of
the jigsaw can we
ensure that not only do
all the pieces fit but
also we can all see
what the picture is”.
President Mary
McAleese, 2005

17. barry.mcgale@westerntrust.hscni.net
0044 (0)2871 320138