Suicide Prevention
Inquiry5
The Health, 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 |
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|
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 |
|||
|
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 |
|||
|
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 |
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|
5. Royal British Legion and Combat Stress Antony Metcalfe,
Wales Area Manager, Royal British Legion Paula Berry,
Regional Operations Manager – Central, Combat Stress |
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|
6. Dr Sallyanne Duncan, University of Strathclyde
and Dr Ann Luce, Bournemouth University Dr Sallyanne
Duncan, University of Strathclyde Dr Ann Luce,
Bournemouth University |
|||
|
7. Dr Rhiannon Evans, Cardiff University Dr Rhiannon Evans,
Cardiff University |
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|
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 |
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|
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 |
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|
10. Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales Prof Keith Lloyd,
Chair, Royal College of Psychiatrists in Wales |
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|
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 |
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|
12. Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS) Angela Samata,
Ambassador for SOBS |
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|
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 |
|||
|
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 |
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|
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 |
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|
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 |
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|
17. Network Rail Ian Stevens,
Programme Manager - Suicide Prevention, Network Rail Superintendent
Mark Cleland, British Transport Police |
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|
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 |
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
- Reports
- Report - Everybody's Business: A report on suicide prevention in Wales
PDF 1 MB - Welsh Government Response PDF 822 KB
- Correspondence
- Letter from the Minister for Mental Health, Wellbeing and Welsh Language - 24 March 2021 PDF 540 KB
- Reply from the Minister for Health and Social Services - 30 January 2020 PDF 682 KB
- Letter from the Chair to the Minister for Health and Social Services - 12 December 2019 PDF 139 KB
- Letter from the Chair of the Health, Social Care and Sport Committee to stakeholders regarding follow up to the suicide prevention inquiry - 29 July 2019 PDF 113 KB
- Letter from the Minister for Health and Social Services to the Chair regarding suicide prevention funding - 22 May 2019 PDF 547 KB
- Letter from the Chair to the Minister for Health and Social Services regarding suicide prevention funding - 23 April 2019 PDF 96 KB
- Reply from the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services - 23 July 2018 PDF 479 KB
- Letter from the Chair to the Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Services - 3 July 2018 PDF 346 KB
- Letter from the Llywydd with regards to Suicide Prevention in Wales - 7 February 2018 PDF 306 KB
- Letter from Chair to NUS Wales regarding suicide prevention inquiry - 22 May 2018 PDF 126 KB
- Letter from Chair to Universities regarding suicide prevention inquiry - 22 May 2018 PDF 127 KB
- Letter from Chair to HM Prison and Probation Service regarding suicide prevention inquiry - 14 June 2018 PDF 111 KB
- Letter from Universities to the Chair regarding suicide prevention inquiry - 20 June 2018 PDF 573 KB
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Consultations
- Suicide Prevention (completed)