Agenda item

To receive a report on suicide prevention in Kirklees.

Contact: Rebecca Elliott, Public Health Manager

The Panel received a presentation on suicide prevention in Kirklees from Lucy Wearmouth, Acting Head of Improving Population Health and Rebecca Elliott, Public Health Manager who advised that suicide prevention was a sensitive subject, acknowledging the importance of wellbeing during the discussion. Reference was made to further support available via Kirklees mental health webpages.

The presentation highlighted that suicide prevention was a complex, system?wide issue, with deaths typically resulting from a range of interacting factors rather than a single cause. Effective prevention required collective action across health, local government, the NHS, community services and the voluntary sector, described as a “jigsaw” where all partners had a role.

Data was received from the most recent suicide audit (2019–2021), undertaken jointly with Calderdale and Bradford due to a shared coroner, and that three?year audit cycles were used to provide a sufficiently large dataset to identify themes.

Questions and comments were invited from Members of the Health and Social Care Scrutiny Panel, and the following was raised:

• Around 57% of people who died by suicide had at least one physical health condition.
• Around 65% of people who died by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition.
• The highest suicide rates in Kirklees were among those aged 36–55.
• Around three?quarters of deaths were male.
• Not everyone who died by suicide had a diagnosed mental health condition, which challenged common assumptions.
• Long?term physical and mental health conditions provided important opportunities for early intervention through routine contact with services and the principle of “making every contact count”.

• Each suicide could affect over 100 people, including family, friends, colleagues, professionals and first responders.
• People bereaved by suicide were themselves at increased risk of suicidal thoughts, particularly children and young people.

• West Yorkshire Suicide Bereavement service provided free support with no timelimits, including one?to?one, group and workplace support which included dedicated practitioners for children and young people in Kirklees and accepted self?referrals and professional referrals via its website.

• Suicide rates in Kirklees had remained broadly stable, although it was stressed that every death was one too many and the aspiration remained to reduce rates further.
• There was an unavoidable time lag in audit data due to coronial processes.
• Work was underway to begin the next audit covering 2022–2024.

• There was a known association nationally between suicide and deprivation.
• Suicide prevention activity needed to cover all communities, as no group was immune.
• Wider social determinants of health, including housing, employment, community connection and inequalities, played a significant role.

• The role of Community Plus included outreach?based approaches, community connectors and partnership working with community groups, faith organisations, libraries and the voluntary sector. Community Plus connectors had all completed ZSA training.

• Officers acknowledged ongoing challenges in reaching digitally excluded residents and emphasised continued work on locally?based and face?to?face engagement.

• Strong support was expressed for Mental Health First Aid training and Zero Suicide Alliance (ZSA) training, which was free, online and recommended for all staff and residents.
• There was a future aspiration to make mental health first aiders as visible as physical first aiders within council workplaces.

• Many people who died by suicide reached out to family or friends rather than clinical professionals.
• Professionals and other partners feeling confident to ask people how they were coping and knowing how to respond if concerns were disclosed along with the impact on those left behind was very important.

• Funding risks for suicide bereavement services beyond March 27 had been escalated to senior public health leadership.
• Work was underway across local authorities to identify sustainable alternative funding arrangements.
• Suicide bereavement support was a core element of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy, and its continuation was a priority.

• Further data on loneliness and isolation, including among older residents, could be available through the Living in Kirklees survey in due course.

RESOLVED –

1. That officers be thanked for their presentation and attendance.
2. That the Panel note the breadth of multi?agency suicide prevention activity across Kirklees.
3. That the Panel note concerns regarding the future sustainability of suicide bereavement services and ongoing work to identify alternative funding.
4. That consideration be given to a future, dedicated scrutiny session on suicide prevention and public mental health.