Suicide Prevention: A Call to Action for Health Care Providers

In 2023, there were 934 suspected or confirmed suicide deaths recorded in NSW[1]. Health care providers are often on the frontline of mental health care, encountering patients who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts or behaviours. It’s essential to recognise the situational stressors and social determinants of health that are often the underlying factors contributing to a person’s distress. A health care provider’s role in identifying, supporting and guiding patients through their mental health journeys is invaluable.

Suicide Prevention Services in Western Sydney

We commission the following suicide prevention and aftercare services for people in Western Sydney.

Primary Mental Health Care Service

Through our Primary Mental Health Care (PMHC) service, psychological services are offered to underserviced groups in the Western Sydney Primary Health Network region. This includes referrals to assist people experiencing moderate suicidal distress. People can access up to 12 sessions to help address the situational stressors and life events contributing to their suicidal thoughts. This is not a crisis service and only open to care level three and four.

To access theses services, referrers will need to ensure the eligibility criteria is met, demonstrate evidence of low income or that the individual belongs to an underserviced group.

For more information about how to refer a patient, eligibility and the list of available service providers, please email the PMHC team at mentalhealth@wentwest.com.au

Safe Space

We commission Stride to deliver Safe Space in Blacktown. It allows people experiencing psychological distress to access timely and responsive support from trained, non-clinical health professionals. This service promotes wellbeing through a community-centred approach to suicide prevention and offers an alternative to emergency department presentation for people experiencing psychological distress and suicidality.

For more information, please visit the Stride website.

The Way Back Support Service

The Way Back program is an aftercare service delivered by Neami National for people who have attempted suicide or experienced a suicidal crisis. It provides non-clinical care and practical support for up to three months to empower individuals to improve their safety and quality of life. Referrals are made through the hospital, following discharge.

The following resources are available:

Call 8416 1100 or visit the Neami National website for more information.

CALD Suicide Prevention Program

Run by the NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors (STARTTS), this program delivers psycho-education and lifestyle group interventions to culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) groups. The CALD Suicide Prevention Program aims to identify the signs of emotional distress, develop coping strategies, develop supportive relationships, break social isolation and reduce the stigma associated with seeking mental health assistance.

To enquire more about this program or refer someone, please visit the STARTTS website.

To see what other mental health services are available, please visit our Mental Health webpage.

HealthPathways: Mental Health

When assessing a patient, health care providers can use Western Sydney HealthPathways to access clinical, up-to-date information and resources about mental health:

If you require the login details, please contact our HealthPathways team at healthpathways@wentwest.com.au

[1] Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (2024), Data from suicide registers, Suicide & self-harm monitoring. Access from: https://www.aihw.gov.au/suicide-self-harm-monitoring/data/suspected-deaths-by-suicide/data-from-suicide-registers

This information is correct as of 12 September 2024.

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