Publish date: 15 September 2025
On World Suicide Prevention Day this week, the Zero Suicide Alliance launched an essential new training resource tailored for healthcare workers which is available for our Mersey Care staff to access now.
The free online Healthcare Staff and Suicide Awareness Training has been funded by Mersey Cares with support from NHS Charities Together. It is designed to help people recognise suicide risk within the healthcare workforce and feel confident to offer support. It takes just 30 minutes to complete.
Why is this course important?
Healthcare staff face unique pressures, and many struggle in silence. This short course offers practical guidance, coached scenarios, and signposting tools to help you support someone who may be experiencing suicidal thoughts.
Whether you work in healthcare, support someone who does, or simply want to be better equipped to help, this training is for you.
The ZSA training seeks to support healthcare workers in:
• Improving awareness of suicide and its impact within the healthcare workforce
• Developing understanding of suicide risk among healthcare staff
• Learning to recognise potential warning signs in those who may be struggling
• Exploring coached scenarios that demonstrate how to approach difficult conversations
• Build confidence in offering compassionate, peer-to-peer support
• Understand how to sensitively signpost to appropriate help and resources
The course takes around 30 minutes and includes a certificate on completion. You can take it at your own pace and revisit sections as needed.
You can take the training here: Healthcare Staff and Suicide Awareness Training
Can you support us to do more for the ZSA?
This training update was made possible by Mersey Cares NHS Charity and funded by NHS Charities Together. It is the third training the charity has supported with the ZSA's main Suicide Awareness Training and its Social Isolation and Isolation Training launched over the last 12 months.
To enable us to further our support for suicide awareness and prevention we have a dedicated Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) Appeal. Every donation, big or small makes a difference.
