To consider the Suicide Action Prevention Plan including results of the audit and local and national suicide reduction plans.

(Note: presented by Rachel Bell, Public Health Specialist, Torbay Council).

Rachel Bell, Public Health Specialist, Torbay Council outlined the submitted report which sought to provide a summary of the new National Suicide Prevention Strategy 2023 – 2028 together with local intelligence and a summary of the new local Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024 – 2027.

The Board was informed that there was a large difference between male and female rates of suicide and that during the pandemic, there was not an increase but we had now returned to pre-pandemic levels.  However, despite seeing a stabilising of rates in recent years, Torbay remains the fourth highest Local Authority area for suicide rates.

The aim of the national Strategy 2023-28 was to:

·         reduce the suicide rate over the next 5 years;

·         improve support for people who have self-harmed;

·         improve support for people bereaved by suicide.

The priority areas for action were identified as:

·         improving data and evidence to ensure that effective, evidence-informed and timely interventions continue to be adapted;

·         providing tailored, targeted support to priority groups, including those at higher risk;

·         addressing common risk factors linked to suicide at population level by providing early intervention and tailored support;

·         promoting online safety and responsible media content to reduce harms, improve support and signposting and provide helpful messages about suicide and self-harm.

It was explained that the priority groups related to children and young people; people who have self-harmed; people in contact with mental health services; those in contact with the justice system; autistic people and pregnant women and new mothers.  Common risk factors had been identified such as physical illness; financial difficulty; gambling; alcohol and drug misuse; social isolation and loneliness and domestic abuse.

The Board was informed that it was essential to provide effective crisis support to help those individuals who had reached crisis point and it was also important to reduce access to the means and methods of suicide.  Effective bereavement support to those affected by suicide was also identified as significant and to make suicide everyone’s business so that the collective impact could be maximised to prevent suicides.

In terms of the Suicide Action Prevention Plan, a local priority setting event had been held in July 2023 which had proven very successful with over fifty multi-agency partners in attendance.  The Torbay Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Alliance and multi-agency partners agreed the draft Suicide Prevention Action Plan, the main aim of which was to continue the consistent downward trajectory towards the regional average with action areas concentrated on ensuring mental health and emotional support was accessible to all together with acknowledging and working with Torbay’s risk factors for suicide and pooling resources to reduce suicide.  The approach going forward was to establish Task and Finish Groups who would prioritise collaborative actions to take forward and report to the Torbay Suicide Prevention Plan Group quarterly.  The Action Plan would be refreshed and refined in the later part of 2024.

The Board was also informed that:

·         there was close work underway with the voluntary and community sector through the Suicide Prevention Alliance, including community builders;

·         support was available to schools for prevention work and in managing any cases that may arise;

·         the disparity between risk factors for Torbay when compared with Plymouth may be due to the fact that Plymouth’s prevention plan had been in place for longer, but that Torbay and Plymouth were working closely to share learning;

·         a multi-organisational approach, sharing information was essential;

·         currently a trauma informed approach is being adopted by the suicide prevention plan and this feeds into the broader focus area the Strategy of Mental Health with work carried out around the positive aspects of prevention and wellbeing.

By consensus the Board resolved that:

1.         the progress since last year’s Suicide Prevention Action Plan be noted;

2.         the new multi-agency Suicide Prevention Action Plan be endorsed; and

3.         Board members’ respective organisations be invited to contribute towards the multi-agency actions as set out in the Local Suicide Prevention Action Plan 2024 – 2027.