Suicide prevention

If you need urgent crisis support, call the Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line on 0808 196 3779 (24/7) or the Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7 ).

If you need immediate help because you can’t keep yourself safe, or you have already harmed yourself, seek emergency help either by phoning 999 or by visiting your local A&E.

Preventing suicide is everybody’s business: one in five people have suicidal thoughts at some point in their life. Many of us may have been affected by suicide in some way, either directly or indirectly. Suicide is not inevitable and can be prevented.

Select a drop-down below to find more information and resources.

This Self Harm and Suicide Prevention Strategy has been developed in partnership with organisations across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire, and with people with lived experience of suicidality and bereavement by suicide. 

The Strategy has been informed by our local Suicide Prevention Charter. You can find out more about the Charter in the section below, including resources and advice on how to implement the Charter within your organisation.

The Strategy sets out our local vision, ambitions and guiding principles for self harm and suicide prevention. We believe that suicide prevention is everyone's business. Organisations can pledge their commitment to the Strategy and the Suicide Prevention Charter, and set out how they can contribute to self harm and suicide prevention by using the form within the Strategy document.

Read the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Self Harm and Suicide Prevention Strategy 2024-2029 [PDF]

Residents with lived experience of suicidality or bereavement by suicide have created the Suicide Prevention Charter to outline what matters to them. The Charter sets out the key values and principles which should help shape local suicide prevention activity. It includes ‘I’ and ‘We’ statements which capture what residents affected by suicide want to see and what organisations should aspire to. The Charter underpins the new Self Harm and Suicide Prevention strategy.

We are asking organisations to uphold the values of the Suicide Prevention Charter through meaningful and tangible actions. This will help people affected by suicide to feel valued, supported, and hopeful. The Charter is set out below.

Suicide Prevention Charter

This charter sets out the voice of people with lived experiences, and the values and principles which are important to them. We ask organisations, partners and stakeholders to pledge their support and commitment to the charter. For further information, please read the Suicide Prevention Information Pack [PDF].

What we want

I want my mental health to be prioritised and supported at an early stage to avoid having to wait until a crisis to receive appropriate help.

Your promise to us

We will prioritise your mental health and provide support as early as possible.

What we want

I want to have a safety plan in place and a good support network around me.

Your promise to us

We will co-develop a safety plan with you and help you to identify, access and create a support network.

What we want

I want to be asked about my personal story and wellbeing at an early stage so the right help can be given, but then want to avoid having to repeat my story unnecessarily. 

Your promise to us

We will discuss your personal story and wellbeing with you to ensure the right help can be given but will ensure that you do not have to repeat your story unnecessarily. 

What we want

I want to be listened to, treated with respect, and supported in a caring and friendly way.

Your promise to us

We will listen to you, treat you with respect, give you enough time, and support you in a caring and friendly way.

What we want

I want language to be used which is respectful, reduces shame, and supports me to have a conversation on suicide where I can openly express my emotions and feelings without being judged.

Your promise to us

We will use respectful and appropriate language which validates your feelings and supports you to have a conversation on suicide, and we will not judge your emotions and feelings. 

What we want

I want clear, accurate and transparent information on my options, including medication and waiting times, and receive practical advice to support my mental health in the meantime. 

Your promise to us

We will give clear, accurate and transparent information, and provide practical advice to support your mental health in the meantime.

What we want

I want friends and family to be included, and for them to be treated with respect and compassion.

Your promise to us

We will include friends and family unless you tell us otherwise, listen to them, and treat them with respect and compassion.

What we want

I want to live the life i want and do the things i enjoy, and not be defined by a single experience.

Your promise to us

We will support you to live the life you want and help you to do the things that are important to you. 

A poster has been developed to raise awareness of these Charter principles across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire.

Download Suicide Prevention Charter poster [PDF]

People from Nottingham and Nottinghamshire have shared their personal stories of overcoming thoughts of suicide or bereavement by suicide. By telling their stories they aim to show that recovery and remaining hopeful is possible.

Each film is around 5 minutes long.

If you are feeling vulnerable right now, it might not be the right time to watch.

If you need support, please use these webpages to explore organisations and services available locally.

If you need immediate support, the following services offer support at any time, night or day.

  • Nottinghamshire Crisis Line on 0808 196 3779
  • Text SHOUT to 85258
  • Samaritans on 116 123

Julian’s story

After losing his mum to suicide and experiencing his own mental health and substance misuse problems, Julian hit rock bottom. Recognising he couldn’t do it on his own, he built up a network of support around him to help find his feet and now feels hopeful about his future and life. “I feel hopeful, I feel alive, I feel life again”.

Stephania’s story

After emotional and mental health issues resulting from a brain injury at birth, an abortion and relationship difficulties left Stephania with substance misuse issues and thoughts of suicide. Over the years, she’s found support through drug treatment programmes enabling her to stay clean. She feels positive and productive. “Cut yourself some slack and take one day at a time”.

Nathalie’s story

After experiencing postnatal depression and a history of self-harm as a teenager, Nathalie found herself considering suicide. She talked to her GP who helped her understand it was her emotional pain not her life that she wanted to be free of. She’s sharing her experience to offer hope to others.

Vicky’s story

Bereaved by suicide, Vicky used the loss of her husband to raise awareness of suicide and its impact on those left behind. In doing so, she helped to manage her own grief and find a way to look forward to life. “With the right support, you can create a new life and that new life can be amazing”.

Natalia’s story

After experiencing mental health concerns as a teenager, Natalia found herself experiencing thoughts of suicide. After experimenting with different forms of help, she’s now found the right combination and feels able to pursue life in a healthier way. “It’s easy to overlook suicidality in everyday life but its not the end, its just another part of being human”.

If you are having thoughts about suicide, help is available. If you are in need of urgent support, call the Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line on 0808 196 3779 (24/7) or if you need immediate help because you can’t keep yourself safe or have already harmed yourself, seek emergency help either by phoning 999 or by visiting your local A&E.

Nottinghamshire Crisis Sanctuaries are open to anyone over 18 who feels they are in, or near, a mental health crisis and need a safe space to talk. They are open 4pm to 11pm, 7 days a week. You can call them on 0115 844 1846 or visit The Nottinghamshire Crisis Sanctuaries .

Talking to someone can be the first step to getting the help you need. Tell a friend, family member, work colleague, GP or anyone else you can trust. If you want to talk to a stranger, call the Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7). If you want more time to compose your thoughts, you can also email the Samaritans jo@samaritans.org.

Follow your safety plan if you have one. If you don’t have one, safety plans remind us of how we can help ourselves get through hard times or during a crisis. You could create one yourself or with someone you trust. They can be a reminder of who is there to support us, practical ways to keep us safe, positive ways to distract ourselves and what we can do if we are at risk of hurting ourselves. You can find more information by visiting the StayAlive or Staying Safe website.

Other resources which might help you

There may be other support services that you may find helpful in the “support services” section.

If you think someone is in immediate danger or has harmed themselves call 999 or take them to A&E if it is safe to do so. Make sure that they are not left alone and stay with them until they are seen by someone from the mental health team.

Other options include encouraging them to:

  • Call their GP for an emergency appointment
  • Call the Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line on 0808 196 3779 (24/7)
  • Call the Samaritans on 116 123 (24/7)

If you are concerned about someone, it is always safest to ask. There may or may not be signs.

Remember that it is ok to talk to about suicide and self-harm. Talking doesn’t increase the risk and can do the opposite. We know that asking isn’t always easy and talking about suicide and self-harm can feel scary. The free online training below can help you to feel more confident to speak to someone about suicide.

You can also find helpful information on the It's safe to talk about suicide leaflet [PDF]

Other helpful resources include:

There are other resources in the ‘I am feeling suicidal’ section which you might want to share with someone you are concerned about.

Supporting someone who is struggling can be difficult and distressing. It’s really important that you take care of yourself as well. The Tomorrow Project can offer support to anyone affected by suicide. You can call them on 0115 880 0280, or email crisis@tomorrowproject.org.uk

Any bereavement can be very hard but losing someone to suicide can bring different challenges.

You don’t have to grieve for someone you have lost to suicide alone. It’s important to talk to people, and to seek support. The Tomorrow Project offers support to anyone bereaved by suicide, you can email info@tomorrowproject.org.uk or text on 07594 008 356.

You could also:

If you need urgent crisis support, call the Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line on 0808 196 3779 (24/7). If you need immediate help because you don’t think you can keep yourself safe, or have taken an overdose, phone 999. If you need immediate help because you can’t keep yourself safe or have already harmed yourself, seek emergency help either by phoning 999 or by visiting your local A&E.

If you need help with funeral costs, Quaker Social Action may be able to help

The NottAlone website contains a wealth of information and advice as well as details of relevant support services for children and young people to support their mental wellbeing.

Be U Notts provides free mental health support for children and young people across Nottinghamshire (excludes Bassetlaw).

You may also find information listed in the other tabs on this webpage helpful.

What you can do as a professional

Learn how to talk about suicide. Take the free 20 minute online training provided by Zero Suicide Alliance and gain confidence in how to ask about suicide.

Understand what support is available. Look at the Local Support Services section of this webpage. Thinking of it as facilitating access to support can feel more helpful than signposting. It may be easier to do this in some situations than others perhaps depending on role or location.

Examples of how to do this might include:

  • “If I provide a list of available support shall we look at it together?”
  • “You can read it in your own time and we can review in a couple of days”
  • “Shall we look through this website and see whether anything looks helpful for you at the moment?”
  • “Is there anything I can do to help you to make that phone call” 

Join the Nottingham/Nottinghamshire Suicide Prevention Stakeholder Network either to attend events or sign up to the newsletter.

Understand The Samaritans' Media Guidelines on sharing information about suicide in any capacity to help ensure it's done well and reduces the risk of suicide.

Zero Suicide Alliance have developed a free training module on autism and suicide awareness. This provides professionals with an understanding of the unique challenges and barriers faced by autistic people.

For more information on training for organisations, resources, the Stakeholder Network or the Nottingham/Nottinghamshire Suicide Prevention work, email Suicide.Prevention@nottscc.gov.uk

If your work involves supporting someone who is struggling, it can be difficult and distressing. It’s really important that you take care of yourself as well. The Tomorrow Project can offer support to anyone affected by suicide. You can call them on 0115 880 0280, or email crisis@tomorrowproject.org.uk

Suicide Prevention Communications Materials 

Social media assets

Suicide Prevention Guidance for frontline and volunteer workers and members of the public [PDF] has been produced by the Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Suicide Prevention Steering Group. Its purpose is to help anyone supporting people during the Covid-19 pandemic in Nottingham City or Nottinghamshire County to feel more confident to talk to someone about suicide and details of key sources of support. The guidance also provides information that can help people to support their own mental wellbeing

Additional Resources for Professionals

NCISH | Annual report 2022: UK patient and general population data 2009-2019, and real-time surveillance data - NCISH (manchester.ac.uk)

Suicide in Children & Young People | National Child Mortality Database (ncmd.info)

Young people who self-harm - A Guide for School Staff [PDF] (rcpsych.ac.uk) 

Suspected suicide postvention protocol: Guidance for further and higher education settings in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire [PDF]

Local support services

  • Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line 0808 196 3779 (24/7)
  • Crisis Sanctuaries available 7 days per week 4pm-11pm. nottinghamshirecrisissanctuaries.tv or telephone 0330 822 4100 during these hours.
  • Harmless – support for self-harm. Referral line 0115 880 0280, or info@harmless.org.uk
  • The Tomorrow Project – support for suicidal thoughts/crisis & support for people who’ve been exposed to suicide . Referral line 0115 880 0280, or crisis@tomorrowproject.org.uk

You can find other local support services by looking on:

Other support services

Please see our resources and guidance on our Self-Harm Prevention page

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