Nusrat Ghani, MP for Wealden, has welcomed the launch of the Government’s new National Suicide Prevention Strategy, which includes over 100 measures to help decrease the number of suicides in England within two and a half years.
The strategy builds on the £13.6 billion existing investment to transform and improve the nation’s mental health services and help recruit 9,300 extra mental health workers. 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.
This includes:
- 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
Additionally, tens of millions of 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. Mental health support teams intervene where a mild-to-moderate mental health issue is identified, and ensure children and young people are both protected and supported.
Nusrat Ghani said: “Too many people are still affected by the tragedy of suicide and the impact it is having on families is devastating. It’s imperative that preventative measures are put in place to save lives and I welcome this new strategy, which will improve our health services and help provide early access to urgent NHS support to intervene where needed and prevent people experiencing the agony and turmoil of a crisis from reaching the lowest point. I continue supporting Wealden families affected by the devastating impact of suicide and working with Sussex NHS and local authorities to ensure that Wealden residents who are struggling know that there is help available.”
In 2021, there were 5,219 suicides registered in England. Males are 2.9 times more likely to die by suicide in England than females, with middle-aged men having had the highest rates of suicide of any other group since 2010 and being at most risk. However, female deaths by suicide are heartbreakingly increasing and suicide is now sadly the leading cause of direct deaths 6 weeks to a year after the end of pregnancy.
The Government press release is available in full here.
