AQW 25638/17-22 Written question to the Minister of Health
To ask the Minister of Health how many people who have contacted the Self Harm Intervention Programme are awaiting access to support in the South Eastern Health and Social Care Trust; and how long has each person been waiting for an appointment.
Asked by Kellie Armstrong MLA on 11 November 2021
- Answered
- Written
- After due date
- Tabled
- 11 November 2021
- Answer due by
- 26 November 2021
- Answered
- 26 January 202276 days after tabling
- Department
- Department of Health
- Priority question
- No
Answer
The Self-Harm Improvement Programme (SHIP) is set up to provide a prompt response to individuals who self-harm that have been referred to the service. The service specification requires that all individuals who are referred are contacted within 24 hours and offered a first appointment within one week. In some cases the date and time offered do not suit the individual and they request a specific time slot. Where this arises the first appointment may not be within the 7 day window.
As of Monday 15th November the current figures in the South Eastern HSC Trust area are:
19 people are waiting for their first appointment to take place.
9 people out of 19 have been allocated to a specific counsellor and have been given a date for their first appointment but it has not yet taken place.
10 people have not yet been allocated a counsellor /date. Waiting times from referral for these 19 people are as follows:
| Waiting Time (weeks) | Have been given an appointment but appointment not yet taken place | Not yet been allocated a counsellor / given a date | TOTAL |
| <1 week | 6 | 0 | 6 |
| 1-2 weeks | 2 | 2 | 4 |
| 2-3 weeks | 1 | 2 | 3 |
| 3-4 weeks | 3 | 3 | |
| 4-5 weeks | 1 | 1 | |
| 5- 8 weeks | 0 | 0 | |
| 9-12 weeks | 2 (89 days, 90 days)* | 2 | |
| 9 | 10 | 19 |
*Both clients were offered virtual appointments within 7 days. However both clients have opted not to take up the virtual appointments and requested to remain on the waiting list to such times that face to face counselling would become available. The service provider is in the process of phasing in face to face counselling over the coming weeks; therefore the 2 individuals will be offered a face to face appointment within this timeframe.