SRAMP commenced in 2010 as a key suicide prevention activity undertaken by the Queensland Government.

AHA was appointed by the Queensland Mental Health Commission (QMHC) to evaluate the Queensland Hospital and Health Service Suicide Risk Assessment and Management Project (SRAMP).

The project provided funding for dedicated clinical positions within acute care mental health teams in hospitals and health services to improve the detection, assessment, and appropriate management of people at risk of suicide.  These positions aimed to enhance the quality and timeliness of suicide risk assessment and management across the public health service system, particularly within acute settings such as emergency departments, through quality improvement, educational, clinical and collaborative activities.

The SRAMP included:

• Implementation of clinical suicide risk reduction and prevention guidelines, tools and procedures
• Supporting improved emergency access for key agencies in contact with people at high risk of suicide (e.g. police, emergency services, education and the community sectors)
• Professional skills training and workforce development
• Other suicide risk reduction quality enhancement.

AHA’s role comprised:

• Conducting a literature scan and review of available evidence and practice relating to the detection and management of suicide risk in people presenting to public health settings, particularly acute health care settings such as emergency departments and acute mental health care settings
• Measuring the effectiveness of the SRAMP against the SRAMP’s aims and objectives, as well as benchmarks of effective models and practice in the detection and management of suicide risk in public health settings as identified in the literature scan and review
• Providing advice to the QMHC about effective or promising models and practice that aim to improve the detection and management of suicide risk in public health settings based on the SRAMP-related findings and learnings from the literature scan and review.

AHA conducted a series of visits to all SRAMP-funded services and spoke with a wide range of stakeholders at each site.  These discussions were important to considering local and cultural issues in characterising the suicide risk assessment and management processes and procedures that may have been developed at each site.