Day to be replaced as suicide prevention chief

THE HEAD of the Health Service Executive’s national office for suicide prevention will be replaced when he retires at the end of this month, Minister for Health James Reilly confirmed yesterday.

Geoff Day is due to take early retirement from his position as head of the office to take up a master’s degree in Trinity College Dublin. He told colleagues of the move last month. He said his decision to leave the HSE was not linked to issues over resources.

Mr Day said the office had received an extra €1 million in funding this year, but acknowledged there had been tensions in the past over securing sufficient funds.

“I’m over 60 and made the decision to retire and have been offered a place on a postgraduate course in Trinity College Dublin. I’m not a quitter. I’ve never quit anything in my life,” he said.

“There are ongoing issues over resources, but they are unrelated to my decision to leave. For me it was the right time to go, and a new person will hopefully bring new energy and enthusiasm.”

On the issue of developing suicide prevention services and securing value for money, he said it was vital that voluntary organisations worked more closely to share resources and experience.

“I’m afraid to say that some organisations feel they have to head down this track on their own. I’m a strong believer that this has to change. They should all be working collaboratively for one purpose – the prevention of suicide.”

Speaking at a conference on suicide prevention organised by the charity Console, Mr Reilly said the Government was committed to developing community-based mental health services.

He said the Government would meet its commitments to appoint staff to mental health teams and that suicide prevention services would continue to be a priority.

However, Dr Annette Beautrais, a senior research scientist at the Yale School of Medicine, said suicide remained an “under-recognised public health crisis” that was resulting in around one million deaths globally each year.

“While in other public health issues such as stroke, heart disease, HIV and cancer, there has been major progress in understanding and developing effective interventions, suicide remains a difficult, complex problem that is not easily understood.”

She said there was a need for sustained investment in training and creating evidence-based programmes that help to reduce the level of suicide.