Nottinghamshire County Council and Nottingham City Council, along with local partners including Nottingham and Nottinghamshire Integrated Care Board (ICB), are launching a new Self Harm and Suicide Prevention Strategy. Partners have also awarded £96,000 worth of small grants that will enable community groups to support the mental wellbeing of their local residents.

The Strategy is the result of collaborative work across local organisations and with people with lived experience of suicidality and bereavement by suicide. People with lived experience have helped to shape the vision and ambitions of the Strategy and have shared their own personal stories to continue to inspire people to do what they can to help prevent suicide in the future.

Local people have also developed a Suicide Prevention Charter setting out the values and principles which matter to them and what organisations should aspire to. A message of hope underpins the Charter and serves as a reminder that recovery is possible.

The aims of the Strategy are to promote wellbeing and reduce suicide and self-harm through four key ambitions:

  • Promoting a safe and stigma free environment, tackling stigma, raising awareness and promoting online safety, continuing to develop a skilled workforce, and making places safer.

  • Promoting wellbeing and reducing risk in at-risk groups, promoting positive opportunities and environments and developing tailored approaches to people in risk groups and experiencing challenging life factors.

  • Ensuring people get the right support, at the right time and in the right place, supporting access to the right help, including effective crisis support services and timely support to people who have been bereaved by suicide.

  • Ensuring local data and lived experience informs and drives self harm and suicide prevention, to understand the experiences local people to inform our strategies and approaches.

Local organisations and services are now signing up to pledge their commitment to deliver on the aims and ambitions of the Strategy and Charter. Early adopters who have pledged their commitment include Nottinghamshire Police, local charity Harmless, Bassetlaw Community and Voluntary Service and the Social Prescribing Link Worker Team at Aspire PCN.

Alongside the Strategy, Nottinghamshire County Council, Nottingham City Council and Nottingham and Nottinghamshire ICB have allocated over £96,000 in mental wellbeing and suicide prevention community grants. This funding will help 34 groups across Nottingham and Nottinghamshire to support the mental wellbeing of local residents through a range of activities that will contribute to reducing the risk of suicide.

Councillor Scott Carlton, Cabinet Member for Communities and Public Health at Nottinghamshire County Council said:

“Preventing suicide and self harm is an incredibly important area of work. This Strategy sets out how we will be addressing the issues to suicide and self harm and ensuring that people who need support know that there is hope – and where to turn to get support.  As we move forward together on the delivery of this important Strategy, we will be asking our partners and local organisations to pledge their commitment to the aims of the Strategy and the Suicide Prevention Charter, setting out their own actions to promote wellbeing and reduce suicide and self harm.

“I’m delighted to be able to announce funding of £96,000 to be used by community groups to support local residents through activities that contribute to their wellbeing and help to reduce the risk of suicide and self harm.”

Councillor Jay Hayes, Executive Member for Public Health at Nottingham City Council said:

“I’m proud to support the launch of this crucial Strategy, which has been developed by working closely with people with lived experience. The Suicide Prevention Charter will be an important resource which helps all types of local organisations put our shared principle - that self harm and suicide prevention are everyone’s business - into action.”

People with lived experience who helped to shape the Strategy and developed the Charter said:

“The suicide prevention strategy and charter are of huge importance, and I hope to see the charter statements become the norm within society. If they become the norm then I believe many suicides will be prevented. It is too late for my daughter Elli, but it is not too late for others.”

 “I can hear the voice of our son, Ben, who ended his life on November 23rd, 2018, echo many of the statements in this Charter. I believe this Charter can make a positive difference to help others in need.”

“Working together on The Suicide Prevention Charter was very connecting and supportive offering hope and recovery.”

If you or someone you know are having thoughts about suicide, help is available. If you are in need of urgent support, call the Nottinghamshire Mental Health Crisis Line on 111and select option 2 (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.

People in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire can find mental health advice and local services at nottalone.org.uk.