Health board moves to hire suicide prevention leader

A new suicide prevention role at Nelson Marlborough Health aims to build resilience, helping people to support others at their most vulnerable.

In a report to the board, chief executive Peter Bramley said funding had been secured for a new suicide prevention coordinator role. The job is yet to be advertised.

General manager of mental health and addictions Jane Kinsey said the role had been on the priority list for some time, and similar ones in other regions had been beneficial.

The co-ordinator would work closely with mental health and addictions staff, public health teams, primary care and other cross-sector agencies, including the Ministry of Social Development.

‘‘The purpose of the role, really, is to support our whole community . . . to focus on achieving and building wellbeing right across our community. What do we do to help people notice issues? How do we support people to act and respond?’’

Kinsey said there was a lot of work happening in the suicide prevention area, and the co-ordinator would be responsible for raising awareness, developing resources and doing training.

Figures released last week by Chief Coroner Judge Deborah Marshall show that the number of people who have taken their own lives in New Zealand is the highest since records began, with 668 suicides in the past year.

In the year ending June 2018, 12 people died by suicide in the region, down from 17 the year before and 24 in the year ending June 2016. Nelson-Marlborough had the lowest suicide rate in the country in 2018, with eight deaths per 100,000 people.