Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today

Latest NewsMental healthWellbeingOccupational Health

Action plan to reduce suicides in England

by Personnel Today 27 Sep 2012
by Personnel Today 27 Sep 2012

The Government has launched a suicide prevention strategy for England and is to invest £1.5 million into prevention research.

The move, introduced in September 2012, is the first such initiative in 10 years and was, in part, in recognition of the mental health toll on many people from the recession.

In 2010 about 4,200 people took their own lives, with the suicide rate highest among men aged between 35 and 49. Men, overall, were three times more likely than women to take their own life, said the Department of Health.

The Preventing suicide in England strategy has identified six key areas for action:

  • developing a better understanding of why people take their own life and how it can be prevented;
  • working with the media and internet sectors to help parents ­ensure that children are not accessing websites that appear to ­encourage suicide;
  • reducing opportunities for suicide by ensuring prisons and mental health facilities keep people safer;
  • better support for high-risk groups, such as people with mental health problems and people who self-harm, and ensuring the health service effectively manages the mental health aspects as well as any physical injuries when people present as self-harming;
  • improving services for groups, such as children and young people, or ensuring the mental health needs of those with long-term conditions are met; and
  • providing better information and support to those bereaved or affected by suicide.

“One death to suicide is one too many,” said care services minister Norman Lamb. “We want to make suicide prevention everyone’s business. Over the past 10 years there has been real progress in reducing the suicide rate, but it is still the case that someone takes their own life every two hours in England.”

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Professor Louis Appleby, chair of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group, said: “Suicide does not have one cause – many factors combine to produce an individual tragedy. Prevention too must be broad – communities, families and front-line services all have a vital role to play.”

Simon Lawton-Smith, head of policy at the Mental Health Foundation, said that the strategy “provides continuing momentum to the good work done over the past decade”.

Personnel Today

Personnel Today articles are written by an expert team of award-winning journalists who have been covering HR and L&D for many years. Some of our content is attributed to "Personnel Today" for a number of reasons, including: when numerous authors are associated with writing or editing a piece; or when the author is unknown (particularly for older articles).

previous post
Employer justified retirement age: putting the case forward
next post
Practitioners urged to join HSE medical sharps consultation

You may also like

House of Lords to resume scrutiny of Employment...

30 May 2025

Indefinite leave to remain proposal could place workers...

30 May 2025

Overseas workers bring key benefits to IT and...

30 May 2025

Trade uncertainty means 7 million fewer jobs globally

30 May 2025

Personnel Today Awards 2025: Two weeks left to...

30 May 2025

Pension reforms could put savings at risk, group...

30 May 2025

Black workers face greatest risk from workplace surveillance

30 May 2025

Capita and PizzaExpress named for minimum wage underpayments

29 May 2025

Charlie Mayfield: HR needs more proactive approach to...

29 May 2025

Warning issued over loss of ‘frictionless’ business travel...

29 May 2025

  • Preparing for a new era of workforce planning (webinar) WEBINAR | Employers now face...Read more
  • 2025 Employee Communications Report PROMOTED | HR and leadership...Read more
  • Prioritising performance management: Strategies for success (webinar) WEBINAR | In today’s fast-paced...Read more
  • Retaining Female Talent: Four Ways to Reduce Workplace Drop Out PROMOTED | International Women’s Day...Read more

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • OHW+
  • Resources
    • Clinical governance
    • Disability
    • Ergonomics
    • Health surveillance
    • OH employment law
    • OH service delivery
    • Research
    • Return to work and rehabilitation
    • Sickness absence management
    • Wellbeing and health promotion
  • Conditions
    • Mental health
    • Musculoskeletal disorders
    • Blood pressure
    • Cancer
    • Cardiac
    • Dementia
    • Diabetes
    • Respiratory
    • Stroke
  • CPD
  • Webinars
  • Jobs
  • Personnel Today