£4m set aside for efforts to tackle Ulster's sharp rise in suicide rates

[Guest guest]

Belfast Telegraph Home > News

£4m set aside for efforts to tackle Ulster's sharp rise in suicide

rates

By Nigel Gould

30 March 2006

More than £4m is to be spent on developing a strategy through a new

taskforce to tackle rocketing levels of suicide across Northern

Ireland, it was announced today.

Health Minister Shaun Woodward said the unique group would be in

place for the next three years at least to ensure the implementation

of a suicide strategy for the province.

He said: " I am sure everyone is very concerned by today's figures

which show a near 50% increase in the number of suicides over the

last year in Northern Ireland. "

Figures released by the General Register's Office show that 213

people took their own lives in that period.

Mr Woodward's department had provisionally set aside £1m on the

suicide prevention strategy for the coming year, but following the

taskforce report will now double this to £1.9m to meet the

recommendations. A further £2.4m has been set aside for the 2007/08

financial year.

Mr Woodward has also asked the taskforce to remain in post for at

least a further year to ensure the strategy is fully implemented.

Speaking before a suicide conference later today, he said: " These

figures are clearly shocking.

" The fact that 213 people took their own lives clearly is a problem

which we all have a duty to address. This year's increases make the

need to tackle the underlying causes of suicide and self harm all

the more necessary and urgent.

" Over the last year the taskforce has tried to assemble a strategy

which will guide everyone working in the mental health field with a

coherent way forward. Of course there is rarely a single cause of a

suicide. The causes are often multiple. That doesn't change the need

to address the issue; it does however make the task significantly

more complex.

" Today I want to back their recommendations in full. I will finance

their recommendations in full.

" It is important to remember however that no society anywhere in the

world is without the problem of suicide.

" There are no quick fix solutions. Evidence from Scotland, England

or the United States also suggests that whatever approaches are

adopted do not necessarily even produce a turnaround in the

figures, " said Mr Woodward.

However, the difficulty and the enormity of the task should not be

an obstacle to our collective determination to make whatever

progress we can.

keep in this par " In the past we have seen reports on suicide and

mental health and not enough action following through. Today marks a

new approach and a renewed commitment. "

[Guest guest]

Belfast Telegraph Home > News

£4m set aside for efforts to tackle Ulster's sharp rise in suicide

rates

By Nigel Gould

30 March 2006

More than £4m is to be spent on developing a strategy through a new

taskforce to tackle rocketing levels of suicide across Northern

Ireland, it was announced today.

Health Minister Shaun Woodward said the unique group would be in

place for the next three years at least to ensure the implementation

of a suicide strategy for the province.

He said: " I am sure everyone is very concerned by today's figures

which show a near 50% increase in the number of suicides over the

last year in Northern Ireland. "

Figures released by the General Register's Office show that 213

people took their own lives in that period.

Mr Woodward's department had provisionally set aside £1m on the

suicide prevention strategy for the coming year, but following the

taskforce report will now double this to £1.9m to meet the

recommendations. A further £2.4m has been set aside for the 2007/08

financial year.

Mr Woodward has also asked the taskforce to remain in post for at

least a further year to ensure the strategy is fully implemented.

Speaking before a suicide conference later today, he said: " These

figures are clearly shocking.

" The fact that 213 people took their own lives clearly is a problem

which we all have a duty to address. This year's increases make the

need to tackle the underlying causes of suicide and self harm all

the more necessary and urgent.

" Over the last year the taskforce has tried to assemble a strategy

which will guide everyone working in the mental health field with a

coherent way forward. Of course there is rarely a single cause of a

suicide. The causes are often multiple. That doesn't change the need

to address the issue; it does however make the task significantly

more complex.

" Today I want to back their recommendations in full. I will finance

their recommendations in full.

" It is important to remember however that no society anywhere in the

world is without the problem of suicide.

" There are no quick fix solutions. Evidence from Scotland, England

or the United States also suggests that whatever approaches are

adopted do not necessarily even produce a turnaround in the

figures, " said Mr Woodward.

However, the difficulty and the enormity of the task should not be

an obstacle to our collective determination to make whatever

progress we can.

keep in this par " In the past we have seen reports on suicide and

mental health and not enough action following through. Today marks a

new approach and a renewed commitment. "

[Guest guest]

Belfast Telegraph Home > News

£4m set aside for efforts to tackle Ulster's sharp rise in suicide

rates

By Nigel Gould

30 March 2006

More than £4m is to be spent on developing a strategy through a new

taskforce to tackle rocketing levels of suicide across Northern

Ireland, it was announced today.

Health Minister Shaun Woodward said the unique group would be in

place for the next three years at least to ensure the implementation

of a suicide strategy for the province.

He said: " I am sure everyone is very concerned by today's figures

which show a near 50% increase in the number of suicides over the

last year in Northern Ireland. "

Figures released by the General Register's Office show that 213

people took their own lives in that period.

Mr Woodward's department had provisionally set aside £1m on the

suicide prevention strategy for the coming year, but following the

taskforce report will now double this to £1.9m to meet the

recommendations. A further £2.4m has been set aside for the 2007/08

financial year.

Mr Woodward has also asked the taskforce to remain in post for at

least a further year to ensure the strategy is fully implemented.

Speaking before a suicide conference later today, he said: " These

figures are clearly shocking.

" The fact that 213 people took their own lives clearly is a problem

which we all have a duty to address. This year's increases make the

need to tackle the underlying causes of suicide and self harm all

the more necessary and urgent.

" Over the last year the taskforce has tried to assemble a strategy

which will guide everyone working in the mental health field with a

coherent way forward. Of course there is rarely a single cause of a

suicide. The causes are often multiple. That doesn't change the need

to address the issue; it does however make the task significantly

more complex.

" Today I want to back their recommendations in full. I will finance

their recommendations in full.

" It is important to remember however that no society anywhere in the

world is without the problem of suicide.

" There are no quick fix solutions. Evidence from Scotland, England

or the United States also suggests that whatever approaches are

adopted do not necessarily even produce a turnaround in the

figures, " said Mr Woodward.

However, the difficulty and the enormity of the task should not be

an obstacle to our collective determination to make whatever

progress we can.

keep in this par " In the past we have seen reports on suicide and

mental health and not enough action following through. Today marks a

new approach and a renewed commitment. "

[Guest guest]

Belfast Telegraph Home > News

£4m set aside for efforts to tackle Ulster's sharp rise in suicide

rates

By Nigel Gould

30 March 2006

More than £4m is to be spent on developing a strategy through a new

taskforce to tackle rocketing levels of suicide across Northern

Ireland, it was announced today.

Health Minister Shaun Woodward said the unique group would be in

place for the next three years at least to ensure the implementation

of a suicide strategy for the province.

He said: " I am sure everyone is very concerned by today's figures

which show a near 50% increase in the number of suicides over the

last year in Northern Ireland. "

Figures released by the General Register's Office show that 213

people took their own lives in that period.

Mr Woodward's department had provisionally set aside £1m on the

suicide prevention strategy for the coming year, but following the

taskforce report will now double this to £1.9m to meet the

recommendations. A further £2.4m has been set aside for the 2007/08

financial year.

Mr Woodward has also asked the taskforce to remain in post for at

least a further year to ensure the strategy is fully implemented.

Speaking before a suicide conference later today, he said: " These

figures are clearly shocking.

" The fact that 213 people took their own lives clearly is a problem

which we all have a duty to address. This year's increases make the

need to tackle the underlying causes of suicide and self harm all

the more necessary and urgent.

" Over the last year the taskforce has tried to assemble a strategy

which will guide everyone working in the mental health field with a

coherent way forward. Of course there is rarely a single cause of a

suicide. The causes are often multiple. That doesn't change the need

to address the issue; it does however make the task significantly

more complex.

" Today I want to back their recommendations in full. I will finance

their recommendations in full.

" It is important to remember however that no society anywhere in the

world is without the problem of suicide.

" There are no quick fix solutions. Evidence from Scotland, England

or the United States also suggests that whatever approaches are

adopted do not necessarily even produce a turnaround in the

figures, " said Mr Woodward.

However, the difficulty and the enormity of the task should not be

an obstacle to our collective determination to make whatever

progress we can.

keep in this par " In the past we have seen reports on suicide and

mental health and not enough action following through. Today marks a

new approach and a renewed commitment. "