Suicide Prevention West Yorkshire 2022-2027 Plan On A Page Year 1-5: People in crisis and leaving secondary mental health services. Health and care staff and volunteers. Target resources where suicide risk is the highest. Coproduction. Information, evidence and resource sharing. Collaboration to create a movement for change. Year 2-5: Criminal justice. Attempted suicide. Unemployment. Primary care. Children and young people. Year 3-5: Physical health; long term conditions, chronic pain. Living alone. Five Core Principles: 1. Co-production. 2. Evidence-based action. 3. System-wide impact. 4. Life course approach. 5. Combating stigma.

Suicide Prevention Strategy 2022-2027

West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership have published their Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for 2022-2027.

The strategy aims to make suicide prevention everyone's business and is based on a long-term vision for zero suicides in West Yorkshire.

Key takeaways from the strategy:

  • Every death is one death too many. A 'zero suicide' philosophy underpins the strategy. 

  • The WY HCP aims to achieve a minimum 10% reduction in the suicide rate across West Yorkshire over the next five years.

  • Grief and loss, money worries, alcohol, relationship breakdown and mental health problems are significant factors that may cause someone to take their own life, and more men than women die by suicide.

Download the Suicide Prevention Strategy

Office for National Statistics (ONS) data shows that suicide is more common in West Yorkshire than in England as a whole, and rates have been increasing over the last few years.

In order to bring suicide rates down and reduce preventable death, the strategy aims to make sure everyone plays a part. This includes citizens, voluntary and community sector organisations, the NHS, local authorities, employers, emergency services, and others.

Nichola Sanderson, one of three Senior Responsible Officers for suicide prevention in West Yorkshire, and the Deputy Director of Nursing at Leeds and York Partnership NHS Foundation Trust said:

"My experience as a mental health nurse has given me the privilege of working with people and their families at the most distressing and vulnerable times. I believe that with the right help and support, all death by suicide can become a thing of the past."

Kim Shutler, SRO and the Chief Executive Officer at The Cellar Trust in Shipley said:

"Suicide prevention in a post-pandemic climate will require us all to dig deep and pull together to do everything we can. We also need to work hard to raise the profile of this work. Suicide prevention is everyone's business. It isn't just in the domain of mental health services. I encourage everyone reading this to take a pause to think what their role could or should be."

Jessica Parker, Suicide Prevention Project Manager, at West Yorkshire Health and Care Partnership said:

"We have a vision for zero-suicides in West Yorkshire. To make this vision a reality, we need everyone in society to make suicide prevention their business. From bus drivers to barristers, suicide can affect us all — so collectively we must all work to prevent it."

Download the Suicide Prevention Strategy

You can follow the West Yorkshire and Harrogate Health and Care Partnership on Twitter www.twitter.com/WYpartnership and join the conversation around the strategy using #WYSuicidePrevention.