£1.24m to help bolster suicide prevention across Cornwall and South West
The money will also provide practical and emotional support
£1.24 million is being spent to help bolster suicide-prevention in the South West.
The money will also provide practical and emotional support to friends and family who have lost a loved one to suicide.
The latest wave of funding from NHS England and NHS Improvement comes as events are held across the South West on World Suicide Prevention Day.
Its significance is reflected in new data showing that the South West has the second-highest suicide rate among men in the nine English regions, with 19.4 deaths per 100,000 in 2019 against 16.7 for England as a whole.
By contrast, the suicide rate among females in the South West was little over a quarter of that level, with 4.9 per 100,00 in 2019 against 5.2 for England as a whole. The difference between male and female rates is broadly similar nationwide.
In Cornwall, 56 people took their own lives last year. That works out to more than one suicide in the Duchy every week.
Virtual events to help target suicide rate in Cornwall
New figures show 56 people took their own lives in Cornwall last year
The new money this year is being allocated Cornwall, Devon, Dorset, Somerset, Bath, Swindon, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire.
In Cornwall, the cash will go towards building on already-funded projects to support people after they have self-harmed; train staff at GP surgeries and in the community in suicide-prevention; fund small bids for local organisations; help children, young people and families learn skills in talking about mental health; invest in wellbeing to prevent people from reaching crisis point and strengthen intervention if there is a crisis; and provide bereavement support for people who have lost loved ones to suicide
“We know the toll that suicide takes on families across the South West, with men in particular at risk. That’s why we’re so determined to use this new money to push forward with work to help keep people safe - especially given the increased pressure that so many are feeling as a result of the covid pandemic.
“We’ve got helplines in place across the South West, so anybody in crisis can get help. That means we’re here for you, 24 hours a day. This additional funding is more about building wider community support, so fewer people reach that crisis point.”
Dr Ellen Wilkinson, consultant psychiatrist at Cornwall Partnership NHS Foundation Trust
The funding will help deliver the commitment set out in the NHS Long Term Plan that by 2023/24 every region and system across the country will benefit from the current suicide-prevention programme and have suicide bereavement-support services.