Replies to LegCo questions
LCQ22: Elderly Suicide Prevention Programme
Following is a question by the Hon Chan Chi-chuen and a written reply by the
Secretary for Food and Health, Dr Ko Wing-man, in the Legislative Council today
(February 12):
Question:
The Hospital Authority (HA) has implemented the Elderly Suicide Prevention
Programme (the Programme) since 2002 to provide multi-disciplinary services to
elderly people with suicidal tendency at psychogeriatric fast track clinics. The
Programme adopts a two-tier service model under which the provision of the
first-tier service relies on frontline staff, including healthcare personnel,
social workers and staff of voluntary agencies, to early detect and screen
elderly people with suicidal tendency, and refer them to receive service at the
second tier, where psychiatrists provide them with specialist treatment. In this
connection, will the Government inform this Council if it knows:
(a) the number of elderly people who, before committing suicide, contacted the
frontline staff at the first tier in the past five years but were not referred
to receive the second-tier service;
(b) the number of elderly people with suicidal tendency who received services
under the Programme, and the respective numbers of elderly people who gave up
the idea of committing suicide and committed suicide ultimately after treatment,
in each of the past 10 years (set out in the table below); and;
Year Number of Number of Number of
service people who people who
recipients gave up the committed
idea of suicide
committing ultimately
suicide
2013
2012
2011
2010
2009
2008
2007
2006
2005
2004
(c) whether HA regularly reviewed and improved the Programme in the past five
years; if it did, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
(1) and (2) The Government attaches great importance to the mental well-being of
the public and has been offering a wide range of mental health services
(including prevention, early identification, timely intervention and treatment,
and rehabilitation) which are accessible by people in need on a continuous
basis. As a positive response to the community's concern over elderly suicide,
the Hospital Authority (HA) has implemented the Elderly Suicide Prevention
Programme (the Programme) since 2002-03 to provide timely and appropriate
psychiatric diagnosis and treatments for elders suspected to have suicidal
tendency, with a view to reducing their risk of committing suicide.
More often than not, elders tend to seek help from social workers, healthcare
personnel and medical practitioners they know before attempting suicide. The
Programme therefore aims to enhance the awareness of front-line social workers
and healthcare personnel of elderly suicide and help them identify elders with
suicidal tendency and symptoms of depression, so that elders at risk of suicide
can be referred to specialist psychogeriatric services as early as possible. In
addition, medical staff of the psychogeriatric departments in all HA clusters
will pay home visits to elders in need and offer them appropriate support.
Under the Programme, all elders who have been identified as being at risk of
suicide will be immediately referred to HA's psychiatric departments for further
diagnosis and treatment. Over the past ten years from 2002-03 to 2012-13, the
Programme has provided relevant medical services for over 7 000 elders at risk
of suicide. Of these elders, 48 committed suicide. The HA does not have the
breakdown of statistics requested in part (b) of the question.
(3) The Psychogeriatric Services Working Group of the HA regularly reviews the
Programme on aspects including the referral mechanism, service outcomes and
various follow-up arrangements. It also takes into account the views from
front-line social workers, patients and medical staff in refining the Programme.
The HA will continue to monitor closely the operation of the Programme and
provide appropriate support for patients in need of such services.
Ends/Wednesday, February 12, 2014
Issued at HKT 15:20
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