9
Accepted in Part
Ringfence local suicide prevention funding and commission ONS for real-time occupational suicide surveillance
Recommendation
We recommend that the Government: a) confirm the timeline and consultation process for revising the new National Suicide Prevention Strategy b) confirm and ringfence additional funding beyond 2023/24 for local suicide prevention to allow local authorities to contribute effectively to delivery of the national strategy, and c) commission the ONS to work with DEFRA and DHSC to address gaps in the suicide data and investigate establishing a ‘real-time surveillance system’ to identify trends in suicide by occupation to inform prevention policy action on suicide prevention in relation to agricultural and veterinary workers. During the development of the new suicide prevention strategy, DEFRA must do better to push rural and agricultural mental health priorities to the fore, seizing a substantial role and commensurate resources to deliver progress. The Department should also establish a National Working Group on agricultural and veterinary occupations to identify immediate priorities and actions to promote more effective suicide prevention for these groups, and to develop a more joined-up public health approach to suicide prevention across the NHS, public sector and local communities. (Paragraph 83) Rural mental health service provision, policy and strategy development
Government Response Summary
The government states the new Suicide Prevention Strategy for England 2023-2028 was published on September 11, 2023. It notes a £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund but clarifies that funding beyond 2024/25 is subject to future Spending Reviews. The Office for National Statistics is already using Census 2021 data linked with other datasets to improve understanding of suicide rates in different occupations, including farmers.
Government Response
Accepted in Part
Government Response
Accepted in Part
HM Government
Accepted in Part
The new Suicide prevention strategy for England: 2023 to 2028 was published on 11 September 2023. This strategy sets out the government’s ambitions over the next 5 years to: reduce suicide rates, improve support for people who have self-harmed, and improve support for people bereaved by suicide. Informed by the Mental Health Call for Evidence launched in 2022, the strategy identifies priority groups, suicide risk factors and the steps we need to take in consultation with individuals, organisations across national and local government, the NHS, the private sector, the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector (VCSE), and academia. This includes steps and actions to tackle known risk factors, many of which the EFRA Committee’s report rightly identifies as affecting those living in rural areas, including agricultural workers and veterinary workers. In addition to the strategy, DHSC recently launched a £10 million Suicide Prevention Grant Fund to support the suicide prevention VCSE sector to deliver activity that can help sustain their services to help meet increased demand for support, or to embed preventative activity that can help to prevent suicides and stem the flow into crisis services. The Fund is particularly targeted towards supporting suicide prevention activity in geographic areas where demand for services is greatest and where there are disparities in provision and access to services, compared to other regions in England. We are proud to be investing an additional £57 million in suicide prevention by 2023/24 through the NHS Long Term Plan. Through this, all areas of the country are seeing investment to support local suicide prevention plans and the development of suicide bereavement services. Funding beyond 2024/25 is subject to future Spending Reviews, and we will consider further opportunities to build upon this investment for suicide prevention. The government recognises that suicide risk by occupational groups may vary nationally, and even locally, and it is vital that the statutory sector and local agencies are alert to this and adapt their suicide prevention interventions accordingly. To further improve our understanding of risk, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) is using data from Census 2021 linked with other administrative datasets, including NHS Talking Therapies, Hospital Episode Statistics, and death registration data, which will help to improve understanding of the suicide rates in different occupations, including farmers. The aim is to use this data to identify where actions should be prioritised to support different occupations.
Timeline
Recommendation age
3.0 yrs
Report published
18 May 2023