Sadly, suicide is one of the leading causes of death in Australia, and thousands of people who work in the mental health space around the state are working together towards getting that number down.
Working as part of the Gold Coast’s Hospital and Health Service, Dr Sandeep Chand is the Clinical Director for Gold Coast Mental Health Services and is part of a program aimed at ‘Zero Suicides’.
This strategy focused on a service-wide framework approach to suicide prevention, the first of its kind for a public mental health service in Australia.
“Suicides may be a percentage of the population, but I think no number other than zero is acceptable,” Dr Chand said.
“Suicide can be hard to predict, but with good, effective practices and treatments, we can reduce the numbers and together we all have to aim for zero.”
Pioneering the way in suicide prevention, the program works with consumers in a six-part process, which includes screening and assessment, followed by a safety plan, with support and education so that the patient knows that they can access ongoing care.
This approach is based on the realisation that suicide is preventable and that consumers need not fall through the cracks of the health care system. The focus is about reducing the incidence of suicide and its devastating impact on everyone involved such as partners, families and colleagues.
“Over the last year we’ve had more than 10,000 presentations to Gold Coast emergency departments seeking support for mental health issues,” Dr Chand said.
“We have a large cohort of doctors and staff who work together within the mental health space, who are there to assist people who need help. The Gold Coast has a fast growing and often transient population, so there is a big demand for these services, but that help, and ongoing support is available.”
With around 1500 people a year admitted to the mental health facility at Gold Coast University Hospital, the approach has received attention from the medical community.
“When a patient is discharged from here, within 48 hours the patient has a face-to-face contact with one of our staff,” Dr Chand said.
“There is a recovery plan in place, in terms of follow ups for the patient, and providing a handover to any services that that person requires, so it’s an ongoing process and some of our research has found that it has reduced up to 40% of returns to emergency departments by using effective intervention in this way.
The program has previously been recognised as part of the Queensland Health Awards for Excellence.
- If you need help regarding Mental Health, no matter where in Queensland you live, call 1300 MH CALL (1300 642 255)
- Adis 24/7 Alcohol and Drug Support is a is a 24 hour, 7 day a week confidential counselling, information and referral service for people in Queensland with alcohol and other drug concerns, their loved ones and health professionals. Ph: 1800 177 833 (freecall)
- Phone 13 HEALTH (13 43 25 84) for 24 hour assessment, referral, advice, and hospital and community health centre contact details