Suicide Prevention

Suicide Prevention

Inquiry5

TheHealth, Social Care and Sport Committee’s inquiry focused on suicide prevention for people aged 15 and over in Wales. The Fifth Senedd Committee published its report in December 2018. The Welsh Government responded in January 2019.

As part of its work on mental health inequalities, the Sixth Senedd Health and Social Care Committee wrote to the Deputy Minister for Mental Health and Wellbeing on 11 July 2022 to seek an update on the Fifth Senedd Committee’s recommendations. The Deputy Minister responded on 26 August 2022.

The extent of the problem of suicide in Wales was consistently raised in evidence to the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee’s inquiry on loneliness and isolation.

Between 300 and 350 people in Wales die from suicide each year; it is a major cause of death amongst people aged 15-44.  About three quarters of people who commit suicide are men, in Wales and across the UK. The most recent statistics on suicide (published 7 September 2017) show an improvement in Wales of the age-standardised suicide rate for males and females from 13.0 in 2015 to 11.8 per 100,000 people in 2016.  The Welsh Government’s suicide and self-harm prevention strategy Talk to me 2 - Suicide and self-harm prevention strategy for Wales 2015-2020 was launched in July 2015.  It followed Talk to Me. The National Action Plan to Reduce Suicide and Self Harm in Wales 2009-2014. Talk to me 2 identifies suicide as a ‘major public health challenge’. 

Mental health services have an important role to play in suicide prevention.  The Welsh Government’s priorities for mental health services in Wales are set out in the Together for Mental Health strategy and the Together for Mental Health Delivery Plan 2016-19 and mental health service provision is underpinned by the Mental Health (Wales) Measure 2010 which has a preventative ethos.

Terms of reference

To examine the extent of the problem of suicide in Wales and what can be done to address it.

To include:

  • The extent of the problem of suicide in Wales and evidence for its causes - including numbers of people dying by suicide, trends and patterns in the incidence of suicide; vulnerability of particular groups; risk factors influencing suicidal behaviour.
  • The social and economic impact of suicide.
  • The effectiveness of the Welsh Government’s approach to suicide prevention - including the suicide prevention strategy Talk to me 2 and its impact at the local, regional and national levels; the effectiveness of multi-agency approaches to suicide prevention; public awareness campaigns; reducing access to the means of suicide.
  • The contribution of the range of public services to suicide prevention, and mental health services in particular.
  • The contribution of local communities and civil society to suicide prevention.
  • Other relevant Welsh Government strategies and initiatives - for example Together for Mental Health, data collection, policies relating to community resilience and safety.
  • Innovative approaches to suicide prevention.

 

Evidence sessions

 

Evidence session

Date, Agenda and Minutes

Transcript

Video

1. National Advisory Group on suicide and self-harm prevention

Professor Ann John, Professor of Public Health and Psychiatry, Swansea University, and Chair of the National Advisory Group on suicide and self-harm prevention

21 March 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

2. Mind Cymru and Connecting with People

Sara Moseley, Director, Mind Cymru

Glenn Page, Senior Policy and Campaigns Officer, Mind Cymru

Dr Alys Cole-King, Connecting with People

Alex Cotton, Connecting with People

21 March 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

3. ProMo-Cymru and Papyrus

Stephanie Hoffman, Head of Social Action, ProMo-Cymru

Nicola Simms, Lead for helpline Practice, Quality and Operations, ProMo-Cymru

Ged Flynn, Chief Executive, Papyrus

21 March 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

4. Royal College of Occupational Therapists and British Psychological Society

Genevieve Smyth, Professional Advisor, Royal College of Occupational Therapists

Peter Hewin, Senior Occupational Therapist

Dr Kathryn Walters, Consultant Clinical Psychologist, British Psychological Society

17 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

5. Royal British Legion and Combat Stress

Antony Metcalfe, Wales Area Manager, Royal British Legion

Paula Berry, Regional Operations Manager – Central, Combat Stress

17 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

6. Dr Sallyanne Duncan, University of Strathclyde and Dr Ann Luce, Bournemouth University

Dr Sallyanne Duncan, University of Strathclyde

Dr Ann Luce, Bournemouth University

17 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

7. Dr Rhiannon Evans, Cardiff University

Dr Rhiannon Evans, Cardiff University

17 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

8. Royal College of General Practitioners Wales

Dr Rebecca Payne, Chair, Royal College of General Practitioners Wales

Dr Jane Fenton-May, Vice-Chair, Royal College of General Practitioners Wales

17 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

9. Samaritans

Sarah Stone, Executive Director for Samaritans in Wales

Emma Harris, Policy and Communications Officer

Susan Francis, Project Officer for Samaritans South Wales Valleys Project

23 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

10. Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales

Prof Keith Lloyd, Chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales

23 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

11. Regional multi-agency suicide forums

Dr Gwenllian Parry, Chair, North Wales Suicide and Self-harm Working Group

Avril Bracey, Chair, Mid and South West Wales Regional forum

23 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

12. Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS)

Angela Samata, Ambassador for SOBS

23 May 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

13. Representatives of Local Health Boards and Public Health Wales

Nadine Morgan, Interim Head of Nursing, Hywel Dda University Health Board

Rhiannon Jones, Director of Community Care and Mental Health, Powys Teaching Health Board

Will Beer, Consultant in Public Health, Aneurin Bevan University Health Board

Su Mably, Consultant in Public Health, Public Health Wales

7 June 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

14. Representatives of the emergency services

Assistant Chief Constable Jonathan Drake (South Wales Police), Welsh Chief Officer lead on Mental Health, Welsh Chief Officer Group

Alison Kibblewhite, Head of Risk Reduction, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

Bleddyn Jones, Station Commander, South Wales Fire and Rescue Service

7 June 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

15. Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Claire Bevan, Director of Quality, Safety, Patient Experience and Nursing, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Stephen Clarke, Head of Mental Health, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust

Nigel Rees, Head of Research and Innovation, Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust

7 June 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

16. HM Prison and Probation Service

Kenny Brown, Director of Public Sector Prisons in South Wales, HM Prison and Probation Service

Sophie Lozano, Prison Group Safety Lead, HM Prison and Probation Service

7 June 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

17. Network Rail

Ian Stevens, Programme Manager - Suicide Prevention, Network Rail

Superintendent Mark Cleland, British Transport Police

7 June 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

18. Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services

Vaughan Gething AM, Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services

Ainsley Bladon, Mental Health Strategy lead, Welsh Government

Liz Davies, Senior Medical Officer/ Deputy Director Mental Health and Vulnerable Groups, Welsh Government

27 June 2018

Read transcript

Watch on Senedd.tv

 

Help and support

 

If you’re struggling to cope, need to talk to someone or feeling suicidal, you can contact Samaritans.

 

Freephone 24 hours a day from any phone on 116 123.

Welsh Language Line: 0808 164 0123 (7pm-11pm, 7 days a week)

Email: jo@samaritans.org

Website: Samaritans Cymru

 

Business type: Committee Inquiry

Reason considered: Senedd Business;

Status: For consideration

First published: 11/10/2017

Documents

Consultations