Issue - meetings

Report CS18141

The Board undertook a scoping discussion on a proposal to develop a Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for Bromley.

In 2012, the Government published a cross-party Suicide Prevention Strategy which aimed to reduce the suicide rate in the general population and provide better support for those bereaved or affected by suicide.  In the same year, Public Health England published a guidance note on “Local Suicide Prevention Planning: A Practice Resource” which endorsed three steps for local plan development originally recommended by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Suicide and Self-Harm Prevention that comprised establishing a multi-agency stakeholder group, completing a suicide audit and developing a Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan based on the national strategy and local data.  In January 2018, the Bromley Mental Health Strategic Board requested the Public Health service lead on the development of a Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for Bromley.  The Public Health service had subsequently established a multi-agency stakeholder group and was working towards developing a Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan which was based on the six priority areas of the national strategy with an additional priority area of self-harm with the expectation that the strategy would be tailored to local need.  It was expected that the draft Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for Bromley would be in place by Autumn 2018.

The Chairman emphasised the importance of the Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for Bromley.  A Board Member reported that this issue had also been recognised by the Bromley Adult Safeguarding Board and that suicide prevention would be a key theme explored at the Bromley Adult Safeguarding Board’s conference in Autumn 2018, with a focus on self-harm and self-neglect.  Another Board Member noted that self-harm disproportionally affected the female population, with suicide tending to affect the male population.  The Chairman requested that further information on the incidence of self-harm in Bromley be provided to Board Members following the meeting.

In response to a question from a Board Member, Helen Buttivant, Consultant (Public Health) confirmed that a mapping exercise was underway to identify existing suicide prevention activities.  An example of this was work by British Transport Police to make the rail network safer for vulnerable service users.

Following discussion, Board Members agreed that Suicide Prevention be added as a further priority area within the new Joint Health and Wellbeing Strategy.

RESOLVED that the rationale and proposed process to develop a Suicide Prevention Strategy and Action Plan for Bromley be endorsed.