Priest says churches must work together to combat suicide
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EFFORTS to tackle the Highlands’ high suicide rate are being hampered by a poorly resourced NHS, according to an Inverness priest.
Father James Bell of St Mary’s Church in Huntly Street said he felt "very sorry" for clinicians who were "stretched beyond anyone’s imagination".
"They do a fantastic amount of good work, but the resources are just not there," he said.
"We have serious problems but there seems to be a great deal of tension between the clinicians and the management at the NHS."
His comments come just weeks after four doctors accused NHS Highland of having a "systemic culture of bullying" and said there had been a culture of fear and intimidation at the health board for at least a decade.
Father Bell said city churches also needed to work closer together to tackle the growing problem of suicide.
"At the moment there is not much joint effort in Inverness and I think that needs to change," he said.
"Some of the clergy meet for breakfast and we are getting to know each other, but there needs to be a more co-ordinated response to issues like this."
He praised the work of the Samaritans and city-based Mikeysline, a text helpline named after Michael Williamson from Inverness who was found dead just hours after returning from a night out to remember his pal Martin Shaw, who had died a few days earlier in October 2015.
One of the helpine’s founders, Ron Williamson, shared Fr Bell’s concerns about NHS Highland.
"I absolutely agree that there is a lack of funding for mental health services on the NHS," he said.
"There also seems to be a lack of ability to attract new staff.
"In England they are getting GPs to take an extra 30 seconds in their appointments to ask every patient whether they have ever had thoughts of suicide.
"They are asking the question even if you have gone in with something like a sore toe, and from that they can decide whether they need to signpost that person to a specialist or a third sector organisation like Mikeysline.
"That is a positive step forward and it’s something that we need to be looking at in Inverness as well."
Fr Bell spoke to the Highland News after writing an article for the Scottish Catholic Observer where he talked about a "shadow side" to Inverness that includes drug addictions and "endemic alcoholism".
He praised Inverness actress Karen Gillan for her directorial debut, The Party’s Just Beginning, which as the HN also reports today will be screened at the Inverness Film Festival next month.
Fr Bell said the film invited audiences to "examine our attitudes" about what drives people to take their own lives.
"The reasons for suicide are multifarious and trying to grapple with the problem will always need sensitive awareness of the burdens people carry – many of them not self-imposed," he said.
Looking to start a church-wide discussion, he said: "What we certainly should be doing is raising the issue so that Christians who have something to contribute can do so."
NHS Highland agreed last month to move ahead with plans for a new suicide prevention group, bringing together the police and council as well as the health board and third sector partners.
A report about the need for a new approach painted a bleak picture of suicide in the Highlands.
It is the biggest cause of death among men aged 15-24 across the region, with the overall suicide rate of 18 per 100,000 deaths in the north Highlands higher than the Scottish average of 14.5.
It is estimated that there are an average of 58 "probable suicides" in the NHS Highland area every year and those most at risk include people living in remote areas – approximately 60 per cent of the Highland population.
NHS Highland head of health improvement, Cathy Steer, said: "We are now in the process of developing an action plan which will raise awareness of the support services available, challenge the stigma associated with mental health and suicide and ensure multi-agency partners are fully trained in suicide prevention.
"It is widely recognised that multi-agency working, widespread suicide prevention training and awareness raising are considered the bedrock of suicide prevention."
