Major national strategy to reduce the number of tragic suicides

• Interventions for vulnerable populations, such as children and teenagers, middle-aged males, autistic persons, pregnant women, and new mothers.
• More than 100 initiatives are being taken, such as a national alert system to combat new suicide methods and updated first aid instructions.

As the government unveils a new national strategy to drastically lower England's suicide rate, thousands more people who are nearing a crisis will receive the assistance they so badly need, and fewer loved ones will suffer the pain of losing a friend or relative to suicide.

The National Suicide Prevention Strategy makes a strong commitment to reducing the suicide rate in England by at least 25 percent by the end of the next 2.5 years.

One of this government's top five priorities is reducing waiting lists, and the NHS Long Term Workforce Plan sets a goal of increasing the mental health workforce by 73% by 2036 or 2037. However, the workforce is currently expanding to support this goal. Nearly 9,300 more mental health professionals were on the job in March 2023 than the previous year.

The strategy's list of more than 100 actions includes:

• A new national warning system to advise relevant organisations, such as schools, universities, and charities, to new suicide techniques and dangers as well as any necessary actions that could restrict access or raise awareness.
• New guidance for first responders that acknowledges new and emerging techniques and how to handle such incidents.
• National near-real-time suicide trend monitoring will be implemented this year, allowing for more immediate and focused responses.
• A government commitment to work with nations throughout the world to identify and halt manufacturers of hazardous and deadly substances at the source.

The government announced a £10 million grant fund for suicide prevention last month, asking the voluntary sector in England to submit funding requests in order to continue helping tens of thousands of people who are having suicidal thoughts. Along with it, £13.6 billion is anticipated to be spent this year alone to improve the nation's mental health services so that millions of individuals may rapidly seek NHS assistance.

By the end of March 2025, tens of millions of children in schools all around England will have access to a specialised mental health support team, with at least half of schoolchildren expected to get such help. When a mild-to-moderate mental health problem is discovered, mental health support teams step in to ensure that children and young people are both protected and supported.

Unfortunately, six weeks to a year following the end of pregnancy, suicide is the main cause of direct mortality in the UK. The government is collaborating with numerous partners to support a project run by the nonprofit Tommy's and Sands Maternity Consortium, which will involve people who have had suicidal thoughts or self-harmed and present with specific risk factors during the perinatal period. This project's goal is to learn more about potential connections between these risk factors and suicide and self-harm.

If you want to read more you can do so by accessing this link.