Suicide prevention
Suicide affects individuals, families and communities in Tasmania and across Australia.
Primary Health Tasmania is working with communities and service providers to reduce the incidence and impact of suicide.
Suicide affects individuals, families and communities in Tasmania and across Australia.
Primary Health Tasmania is working with communities and service providers to reduce the incidence and impact of suicide.
Primary Health Tasmania also supports other local initiatives designed to reduce suicide, as part of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy.
This includes working with local organisations to provide early intervention programs for people in remote and rural parts of the state, as well as those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
We also target workers by supporting workplace training in mental health and wellbeing awareness, resilience skilling and capacity building across different industries.
Find out more about our commissioned services by exploring Our Services Portal.
Under the National Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Agreement, the Australian, state and territory governments have committed to achieving what is referred to as ‘universal aftercare’.
The concept of universal aftercare expands the pathways to suicide aftercare support beyond hospital settings. It involves connecting people with aftercare services across various settings where people may present with suicidal distress.
The Tasmanian Suicide Prevention Strategy also highlights the need to increase the availability, accessibility and quality of aftercare services in Tasmania for people following a recent suicide attempt or suicidal crisis.
Primary Health Tasmania commissioned a stakeholder consultation project to develop the following Tasmanian definition of universal aftercare:
“Universal aftercare in Tasmania is defined as proactive and coordinated services and supports provided to people following a suicidal crisis or suicide attempt, with broad referral pathways within and outside of the health and hospital system and integrated support for family, friends and caregivers.”
This is an aspirational definition that is being used to guide efforts with respect to universal aftercare services in Tasmania.
The definition and consultation process helped shape the current Universal Aftercare service Primary Health Tasmania has commissioned with Australian Government funding. Click here for more information about this service.
You don’t have to be a trained professional to engage in a conversation about suicide.
Primary Health Tasmania encourages people to undertake ‘gatekeeper training’, which provides the tools and confidence to have a conversation with and respond to someone who may be at risk of suicide.
We have received licences for a short online training course so that Tasmanians can undertake gatekeeper training for free.
Click here to find out about the QPR Institute’s QPR (question, persuade, refer) training, which takes one to two hours.
Instructions for accessing this online training course are available in the fact sheet linked above.
The National Communications Charter is a unifying, evidence-informed resource to guide the way mental health and suicide prevention sectors, government, business and community members talk about mental health concerns and suicide.
Primary Health Tasmania aligns its suicide prevention communications with the National Communications Charter, supporting its application in Tasmania as the national best‑practice framework for safe and stigma‑free conversations about mental health and suicide.
You can find out more here.
Primary Health Tasmania does not offer health services, crisis, or emergency support.
Your regular general practitioner/doctors surgery should always be your first point of call if you need medical or mental health care
In an emergency, call Triple 000 for Ambulance, Fire or Police
For health advice on health services open at night, public holidays and weekends, visit the Tas After Hours website.
The following helplines are also available for urgent assistance: