The findings highlight the fact that the number of suicides in York is above the national and regional average and looks to inform suicide prevention work and activities and feed into a future suicide prevention plan.
Recommendations on suicide prevention which will be discussed at the meeting will include:
- · Work towards achieving formal ‘Suicide Safer Community’ accreditation
- · Develop a suicide prevention framework for York
- · Undertake a regular programme of suicide audits
- · Develop ‘suicide surveillance’ and real time ‘early alert’ processes to improve the multi-agency response
- · Provide more responsive support arrangements to those affected by suicide
- · Ensure that those people who are affected by suicide are able to have their views and experiences heard
The report follows a conference held last month which launched an ambition for York to be a Suicide-Safer community and part of a Mental Health Friendly County.
Councillor Carol Runciman, Executive Member for Health and Adult Social Care and Chair of the Health and Wellbeing Board said: “Suicide devastates the lives of individuals, families and communities. This audit and meeting will look at how we as a city can improve our suicide prevention work and better support our residents. It is important that we talk about suicide and that as a council we continue to work with partners across the city to prevent suicides.”
Sharon Stoltz, Director of Public Health at City of York Council said: “Every suicide is a tragedy and City of York Council takes the issue of suicide and preventing deaths by suicide very seriously. This audit, which is in line with national best practice, reviews every death between 2010 and 2014 where the coroners outcome was suicide. The audit provides an opportunity to discuss suicide prevention and find areas where we as a city can improve the support available, which will feed into our suicide prevention plan, and I would like to thank officers and partners who supported this work.”
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