Government launches major national strategy to reduce number of tragic suicides
The government has pledged to reduce England’s suicide rate within two and a half years with the launch of a new national suicide prevention strategy.
Plans include action to aid specific groups at risk of suicide, including children and young people, middle-aged men, autistic people, pregnant women, and new mothers.
More than 100 measures are being taken, including a national alert system to combat emerging methods of suicide and refreshed guidance for first responders.
The five-year suicide prevention strategy for England commits to the number of suicides in England decreasing within two and a half years at the very latest.
The strategy follows the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan, which sets out an ambition to grow the mental health workforce by 73% by 2036/37. The government said that in March 2023 there were almost 9,300 more mental health staff working than the previous year.
Significant delays and failings in the mental health and social care systems have been highlighted by coroners in multiple inquests into suicides in recent years, with understaffing a regular factor.
Health and social care secretary, Steve Barclay, said: ‘Too many people are still affected by the tragedy of suicide, which is so often preventable.
‘This national cross-government strategy details over 100 actions we’ll take to ensure anyone experiencing the turmoil of a crisis has access to the urgent support they need.
‘It’s imperative we support people earlier to prevent them reaching the lowest point, while tackling emerging methods of suicide and eradicating harmful material online.
‘We’re working at pace to achieve this, and we continue to invest billions of pounds to transform and improve our nation’s mental health services, and – most importantly – save lives.’
Over 100 measures have been outlined in the strategy aimed at saving lives, providing early intervention and supporting anyone going through the trauma of a crisis. These include:
- A new national alert system to notify relevant authorities – like schools, universities, and charities – of emerging methods of suicides and risks, and any required actions that can reduce access or limit awareness
- Fresh guidance issued to first responders, recognising new and emerging methods and how such incidents should be dealt with
- Near real-time surveillance of trends in tragic suicides to be introduced on a national scale this year, enabling more timely and targeted actions
- A government pledge to collaborate with countries around the world to target and stop suppliers of dangerous and lethal substances at the source
Last month the government launched a £10m Suicide Prevention Grant Fund, calling on the voluntary sector across England to apply for funding to continue supporting tens of thousands of people experiencing suicidal thoughts. It comes alongside an expected spend of £13.6bn this year on mental health services.
The government said that children in schools across England will have access to a dedicated mental health support team by the end of March 2025, with at least half of school pupils set to receive such support.
As part of its ongoing work with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Authority, the government will explore whether regulatory change is required to decrease how many tablets like paracetamol can be sold to a customer or patient at once.
Image: Maxim Hopman
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