6. Debate on the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee Report: 'Everybody's Business: A Report on Suicide Prevention in Wales'

Part of the debate – in the Senedd at 5:09 pm on 20 February 2019.

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Photo of David Lloyd David Lloyd Plaid Cymru 5:09, 20 February 2019

Diolch, Dirprwy Lywydd. In the few minutes that I have, I'll just concentrate on replying to some of the contributions in what has been a difficult, at times, but very powerful debate. I think this Senedd is at its best, sometimes, when we have to confront issues that are very difficult and challenging for us all, and we manage to debate in a very mature and considerate way with one another, because lots of people have been touched here by suicide. We've had Helen Mary's personal experience, notably Jack Sargeant's obvious personal experience, even with Neil Hamilton, and people coming to see Rhun ap Iorwerth as well, and Lynne Neagle's obvious personal experience and powerful testimony that she provides both in the health committee and in the children and young people's committee. So, we know about suicide.

Professionally, I don't know if I mentioned previously I've been a GP for so many hundreds of years now, and occasionally you get touched by suicide. You have that conversation where somebody vaguely threatens suicide and you try to do something about it, and that's the point. I can't get people into emergency psychiatric hospitals now, whereas 20 years ago I could, you know. I could just ring up, as if you had chest pain. I could get people into hospital. I can no longer do that, and people are saying, 'Where was the GP in all this?' Yes, we understand suicide, and we understand the devastation of it all. That's come through in this very powerful debate. 

And there's some excellent work happening on the ground. We need more of it. That's all we need—more talking therapies. 'Help is at Hand' is wonderful, as is the 'Talk to me 2' series. We need a step change in resourcing. The bereavement support organisations in the voluntary sector are excellent. We need more of them. They need more help, because, as we said, suicide is devastating.

A GP that I knew some years ago in the practice that I am now a GP in killed himself, died by his own hand, and that's never left the practice. That was 18 years ago now, and there's still devastation in the practice that I'm still the GP in—absolute devastation. And people couldn't talk about it for years. Now they're talking about it, because it is suddenly becoming acceptable to talk about these issues, and we're slowly starting to understand that talking about suicide does not make it more likely to happen. There is still that prevailing idea that, if we talk about it, it's likely to happen. That is so utterly wrong.

It is everybody's business, absolutely everybody's business, and I take Carl Sargeant's words to heart: look after each other. Diolch yn fawr.