Wiltshire Public Health

Kate Blackburn, Public Health Specialty Registrar

Outline

• National picture

• Wiltshire profile

• Self-harm register

• Wiltshire Suicide Reduction Steering Group

National figures• Since 2007 signs that suicide rate has risen in England.

• 6,233 suicides of people aged 15 and over were registered in the UK in 2013.

• The male suicide rate in 2013 was highest since 2001. Female rates have stayed relatively constant.

• Rates among males is highest for those aged 45-59 years.

• The most common method of suicide in the UK in 2013 was ‘hanging, strangulation and suffocation’.

National strategy and annual report

• In Autumn 2012 the UK Government published a new cross government suicide prevention strategy.

• Since then two annual reports have been published reporting on the strategy.

Wiltshire data

Wiltshire data

Wiltshire data

Self-harm

• Around half of people who die by suicide have a history of self-harm.

• The effective assessment and management of self-harm by NHS services where people do present, particularly in emergency departments represents a huge opportunity to reduce repetition of self-harm and future suicide risk.

• Local public health teams have a role in tracking local trends of self-harm to inform decisions about local authority and NHS resources needed for mental health promotion, prevention and early intervention.

Self-harm register weekly attendance figures Q1 2014

Self-harm register – hour of presentation Q1 2014

Self-harm register – Males and Females by age group during Q1 2013

Self-harm register

• Methods of self-harm• Types of drugs being used• Service provision• Psychosocial assessment• Patients prior history• Prior contact with services

Wiltshire Suicide Reduction Steering Group

• Nationally there is no statutory duty for Local Authorities to conduct a suicide audit or have a suicide reduction strategy.

• All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Suicide and Self Harm Prevention exists to raise awareness within Parliament and encourage discussion and debate of all issues involved in suicide and self harm prevention.

Wiltshire Suicide Reduction Steering Group

• In January 2014, the Leader of the council appointed an elected member to be the council’s mental health champion.

• Associate Director, Public Health in Wiltshire Council leads on public mental health and suicide reduction.

• Wiltshire council is a member of the Self-harm prevention steering group, a joint collaboration between B&NES and Wiltshire.

• Partnership working with Swindon council, GWH and Salisbury Hospital.

• Wiltshire Suicide Reduction Steering Group formed.