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Suicide and intentional self-harm are tragic and preventable health issues in Australia. In 2023, the national reported suicide rate was approximately 9 deaths per day (AIHW, 2023). A total of 934 suspected or confirmed suicide deaths was recorded for the full year in 2023. People who have attempted suicide or experienced a suicidal crisis often experience severe distress in the days and weeks immediately afterwards, and they are at high risk of attempting again. Providing individuals with support at times when they are most vulnerable is critical to ensuring that support is effective in achieving safety. Presenting at and/or being admitted to hospital following a suicide attempt or suicidal crisis is a time of heightened risk, therefore health interventions must support vulnerable individuals when transitioning out of acute settings and into the community.
CHN, ACT’s PHN, commissioned Woden Community Service (WCS) to deliver The Way Back Support Service (TWBSS) to support people in the first few months following a suicide attempt. People who have experienced a suicide attempt are referred to the program by Canberra Health Services (CHS) hospital emergency department and mental health units for follow-up psychosocial support which can last up to 12 weeks. This is seen as a critical suicide prevention aftercare response for a person at a high-risk time and is a key element of the Lifespan integrated framework for suicide prevention. WCS provides integrated and person-centred care to vulnerable individuals to empower them to feel healthier and more confident about their future.
Over the last year, The Way Back Support Service received 255 referrals, 194 were directly following a suicide attempt and 61 presented as high risk of attempting suicide. It continues to receive overwhelming positive feedback from clients, with 100% of those participating positively reporting satisfaction with the service, that the staff was supportive and understanding and that they were encouraged towards recovery. The Way Back Support Service’s leadership collaborated with external partners, including ACT Health, CHN and Canberra Health Services to introduce a new role and streamline referral processes, with a focus on improving efficiency for both CHS and WCS staff. WCS successfully embedded this new role within the TWBSS structure. Through regular in-service visits with external stakeholders and extensive networking, this role contributed an increase of referrals between July-Dec. 2023 to Jan-June 2024 of 32%. Over the last year, TWBSS recorded the highest number of referrals and active participants in over 2 years.
Client story
Leopold* (not his real name) was referred to the service following an interrupted suicide attempt and ongoing suicidal crisis. Stressors included difficulties at work from the intense office environment and high expectations, which resulted in temporary leave from work and uncertainty about whether he would continue with the same organisation. Leopold also had concerns with alcohol use and poor help seeking behaviours. Leopold identified a desire to work on his alcohol dependency, with the view to accessing outpatient service. Leopold opted to use TWBSS support to discuss the previous week and plan the upcoming week. He commented that this was very useful and appreciated the time and space provided.
During the support period, Leopold returned to work, having resolved some key areas of concern with his Manager, and attended Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) meetings. Leopold opted not to access an outpatient unit at this time as he felt well supported by AA and had developed good natural support which had become a valuable part of his recovery. Safety planning was reviewed frequently throughout the support period, with attention paid to recognising warning signs and what actions were required to manage these. Leopold noted improvements with recognition of warning signs and noted an overall reduction in distressing signs and consequently reduced alcohol intake and better connection with family.
“You have been amazing and really helped me a lot. I am so grateful you have been there and followed up. It’s kept me on track,” said Leopold.
