Dear Health New Zealand,

I’m writing to kindly request some information regarding suicide statistics within both the general population and the healthcare workforce here in NZ . Specifically, I’m seeking the following details:

1. General Population Suicides - previous 5 years
1a) Annual Number of Suicides: Could you please provide the total number of suicides reported annually over the past five years, broken down by year?
1b) Demographic Breakdown: If available, I’d appreciate a breakdown by age group, gender, and ethnicity.
1c) Geographical Distribution: I’m also interested in the geographical distribution of suicides across different regions in New Zealand.
1d) Trends and Analysis: If you have any insights into trends or changes in suicide rates over the specified period, that would be very helpful.

2) Healthcare Worker Suicides - previous 5 years
2a) Resident Medical Officers (RMOs): The number of suicides among RMOs over the past five years, broken down by year and district.
2b) Senior Medical Officers (SMOs): The number of suicides among SMOs over the past five years, broken down by year and district.
2c) Nurses: The number of suicides among nurses over the past five years, broken down by year and district.
2d) Allied Healthcare Staff: The number of suicides among allied healthcare staff over the past five years, broken down by year and district.

3) Comparative Analysis:
3a) I’d like to compare the data on healthcare worker suicides with the suicide prevalence in the general population across different age groups:
3a) Youth (15-24)
3b) Adults (25-65)
3c) Seniors (65+)

This information is important to better understand the mental health challenges faced by our healthcare workers in comparison to the general population, which can help in shaping future support initiatives.

If any of the requested data is unavailable or falls outside your department’s scope, I’d greatly appreciate it if you could guide me to the appropriate agency or provide what is available.

Thank you so much for your time and assistance. I look forward to your response.

Regards,
Sandra Anderson