The Government has published an ‘Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Strategy’ laying out how it plans to reduce suicide and better support those affected by it. 
The strategy, published by the Ministry of Defence, aims to build on existing suicide prevention, intervention and postvention provisions and is supported by an 'action plan' which provides details on how the work will be delivered.
In a foreword to the strategy, Andrew Murrison MP, Minister for Defence People and Veterans, said: “The latest statistics on death by suicide in the Regular Armed Forces show that, while its members remain overall at lower risk than the UK general population, we have begun to see an upward trend.
“We cannot afford to be complacent and must do more.”
Eight focus areas identified within the strategy are: understanding high risk groups within the Armed Forces, educating about suicide, enabling individual resilience and personal support needs, enabling safe military environments, enhancing organisational management of those at risk, enabling access to support for those at risk, developing accessible postvention support and improving organsiational learning.
Progress on the work will be monitored through a health and wellbeing governance structure, according to the strategy.
Read the Armed Forces Suicide Prevention Strategy here.
*The West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership's Suicide Prevention Programme has commissioned a film about veterans and mental health, called 'Leaving Service'. View the key messages within the film here.