‘Urgent action’ call on missed suicide deadline

Conservative MSPS are demanding “urgent action” on suicide prevention after ministers missed their own deadline for publishing a new plan to reduce deaths in Scotland.

Former mental health minister Maureen Watt said a new suicide prevention strategy would be ready by the end of last month.

However, the plan is yet to be published, with Ms Watt replaced by Clare Haughey in a cabinet reshuffle last month.

The previous suicide prevention strategy ran from 2013 to 2016.

There were 680 probable suicides registered in Scotland last year, down from 728 in 2016.

The latest figures revealed a slight rise in probable suicides among men, up from 517 in 2016 to 522 last year.

Scottish Conservative mental health spokeswoman Annie Wells said: “It’s not good enough that Scotland has been without a suicide prevention strategy for a year-and-a-half.

“The SNP government said it would publish this by the end of June, but still nothing has happened.

“This should be a priority area for any government, but clearly the SNP’S action doesn’t match its words.

“Suicide remains a major killer in Scotland, particularly among men, yet we have an SNP government that is being complacent. We cannot afford for this to drag on any longer.”

The Scottish Government last month announced an extra £3 million would be invested in a new suicide prevention fund.