Richmond Fellowship signs up to National Suicide Prevention Alliance

The NSPA is a cross-sector, England-wide coalition committed to reducing the number of suicides in England and improving support for those bereaved or affected by suicide. It brings together police, NHS, voluntary sector charities and local authorities to facilitate practical change.

Yesterday (3 February) it hosted its first NSPA Suicide Prevention Conference: One world connected which we exhibited at. As part of our membership to the NSPA, Richmond Fellowship has committed to an action plan to introduce improvements into our organisation as well as championing the issue in the wider community.

This includes:

• Introducing an annual suicide awareness week to try to break down some of the taboo surrounding suicide
• Undertaking a more through analysis of the incidence of suicide amongst people who use our services to better understand the triggers/context to see if there any more preventative actions we could be taking
• Reviewing our suicide prevention training for our staff and exploring options for extending this to our peer supporters and other people who use our services
• Mapping the networks, agencies and organisations that are available in our service areas that could support people in distress and ensuring these are publicised widely
• Adding support for those affected by suicide into our carer guidance.

Richmond Fellowship chief executive Derek Caren said: “With political parties now making open commitments to addressing suicide prevention, there’s a real opportunity to bring about positive change. At the moment too many people are not being supported effectively when they’re experiencing a mental health crisis but we’re determined to play our part in reversing this trend.”