CORPORATE OFFICE
Level 1,
32 Oxford Terrace
Telephone: 0064 3 364 4160
Christchurch Central
Fax: 0064 3 364 4165
CHRISTCHURCH 8011
[email address]
23 March 2017
Cody C
Email: [FYI request #5408 email];
Dear Cody
Re: Official Information Act Request CDHB 9562
We refer to your email dated 20 February 2017 to Canterbury District Health Board, requesting the
following information under the Official Information Act.
Number of suicides within CDHB mental healthcare facilities in last 5 years, by month, in
accordance with the Official Information Act 1982.
An outcome of suicide can only be made by the Coroner. Please refer to
Table one (below) for the
number of deaths suspected by the Specialist Mental Health Service (SMHS) to be self-inflicted, and
where the Coroner has made a finding, those deaths confirmed by the Coroner to be suicide between
calendar years 2012 – 2017 year to date.
As the numbers are very low we are declining to break the data down by month and year as requested
under section 9(2)(a) of the Official Information Act. i.e.
to protect the privacy of natural persons,
including that of deceased natural persons. But, as you can see the number of possible suicides is one
or two per annum.
Table one:
Calendar years 2012 – 2017 year to date
Possible suicide of inpatient in a Canterbury DHB
7
mental health facility
*Possible suicide of inpatient while on leave from
4
a Canterbury DHB mental health facility.
Note: *The on-leave category has been included but this means that the deaths did not occur in the
facility.
I trust that this satisfies your interest in this matter.
Yours sincerely
Carolyn Gullery
General Manager,
Planning, Funding & Decision Support