I propose to take Questions Nos. 522 to 526, inclusive, together.
The Government is committed to dealing with the current levels of suicide and deliberate self-harm, of which an important part is provision of appropriate services within the hospital setting.
With regard to people that may present to the Emergency Department with suicidal ideation or self-harm, the HSE Mental Health Division, through the Programme for Government, has now ensured that all Level 4 hospitals have a Liaison Psychiatry Service available on the site of the acute hospital. This service provides prompt assessments in the Emergency Department. Most Level 3 hospitals have either a service in place or have been allocated one through the Programme for Government. For the latter, recruitment is taking place and where the liaison service is not yet in place the local service has an alternative arrangement whereby the person is assessed by a liaison nurse or NCHD and the consultant on duty for that day provides advice on management.
In addition to this, the National Clinical Programme (NCP) for the Assessment and Management of Self-Harm in Emergency Departments began in December 2014. This Clinical Programme is a part of an overall strategy and specifically addresses the care and treatment required by people who present to the Emergency Department of acute hospitals following an episode of self-harm or with prominent suicidal ideation. It aims to provide a standardised specialist response to all such people and, by so doing, reduce the numbers leaving Emergency Departments without an assessment, link people into appropriate care, and involve families and friends as appropriate with an overall aim of reducing repetition of self-harm which is known to be associated with an increased risk of completed suicide. The continuation of this programme is identified as a priority in the HSE National Service Plan 2017. This NCP has trained and deployed 33 senior mental health nurses at Clinical Nurse Specialist level to Emergency Departments around the country. This facilitates an onsite, rapid response to those who have self-harmed and/or are suicidal. It supplements and works with the Liaison Psychiatry Service to provide a bespoke response to those who are suicidal or have self-harmed.
With regard to the specific information requested, as these are service matters these queries have been referred to the HSE for reply.