The National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health provides recommendations for improved patient safety in mental health settings and reduced patient suicide rates.
The evidence from the National Confidential Inquiry is cited in national policies, guidance and regulation across the UK.
One of the recommendations is around Safer Wards. This standard, which we are benchmarked against, advises that we should:
- review in-patient safety
- remove ligature points from wards
- there should be measures in place to prevent patients from leaving the ward without staff agreement; this might be through better monitoring of ward entry and exit points
- improving the inpatient experience through recreation, privacy and comfort.
- Observation policies should recognise that observation is a skilled intervention to be carried out by experienced staff
- recognition that suicide risk is increased within the first week of admission.
To support these recommendations there is a requirement that all wards have an up-to-date environmental and ligature risk assessment.
Losing a patient is a traumatic experience and that discussing suicide is a sensitive topic and may cause distress. You may find the following support resources and information helpful.
- Help is at Hand: support after someone may have died by suicide (Support After Suicide Partnership)
- If a patient dies by suicide: a resource for psychiatrists (Royal College of Psychiatrists)
- If a patient dies by suicide: a resource for mental health professionals (Royal College of Psychiatrists)
- AtaLoss.org (Bereavement signposting and information site)
- Finding the words: how to support someone who has been bereaved and affected by suicide (Support After Suicide Partnership)
The Samaritans offer guidance and advice around suicide prevention and support. They release media guidance to support learning and reporting issues around suicide.
Recent guidance highlights the following areas:
- Suicide Prevention communications guide
- Assisted dying media guidelines
- Novel methods guide https://www.samaritans.org/documents/2600/Guidance_for_reporting_suicides_involving_novel_methods_Digital.pdf
- Public places guide https://www.samaritans.org/documents/2800/Guidance_for_reporting_suicides_in_a_public_place_Digital.pdf
Grassroots Suicide Prevention examines key risk factors and introduces the Women’s Suicide Prevention Support Hub, designed to address some of the biggest suicide risk factors affecting women.
Within the Hub there is information on:
- Menopause & Perimenopause
- Domestic violence
- Perinatal
- Postpartum
- Childhood abuse
- Eating disorders
- Sexual violence
- Premenstrual