Agenda item

The Director of Public Health submits a report providing information on suicide rates within the City, and the prevention response. As males are disproportionately affected by suicide, support for men is highlighted.  

The Board received a presentation from The Programme manager for Mental Health and the Consultant in Public Health.

It was noted that:

·       Suicide factors were wide ranging and included living and working conditions and gender. The most affected group was males aged 40–49. Almost 70% of suicide victims were white.

·       New initiatives included:

o   Creating mental health friendly places and clubs. Clubs could support those in adversity through sports. Training enabled facilitators to engage in supportive conversations, with 516 people receiving the training. The were 6 My Space My Game sessions running across LLR, with 2 being based within the city. This initiative mainly targeted men through football.

o   An expansion into working with businesses was planned to include the private sector such as hair salons. Training could be implemented via e-learning.

o   In the previous year there had been a Together for Men conference. Another would hopefully return during the year.

o   3 webinars had been hosted exploring men’s health. All information was available online on the Mental Health Friendly website.

o   Men’s support booklets had been produced which were co-produced with men’s groups such as the Modern Men Movement.

o   Partners were exploring a wide range of tools including beer mats, QR codes and posters. Conversations were taking place to promote the cause within 70 pubs across LLR.

o   Work continued with the Tomorrow Project which provided bereavement support for those affected by suicide.

o   There was funding for 13 Voluntary, Community and Social Enterprise (VCSE) organisations to focus on community aspects with the aim of supporting men’s mental health.

o   Work was planned with carparks to reduce lethal risk means.

o   Work with Leicestershire Partnership Trust (LPT) was ongoing to promote suicide awareness across primary care.

In response to questions and comments from members, it was noted that:

• Members recognised the importance of the partnership organisations being a mental health friendly place. It would be checked as to whether this was the case for LPT and Leicester City and County Councils.
• Regarding educational organisations, work was ongoing to contact private student accommodations, the universities and potentially schools.
• Members noted that those with severe mental health challenges did not always access available support and the challenge was to understand why men in particular might not seek help. It was vital to raise awareness of crisis support. More awareness could be raised on how staff across LLR could access the available crisis support.
• Work was ongoing to promote a booklet for those from diverse backgrounds.
• More awareness on support for those from a diverse background could be shared via the provider forums.
• Pharmacy First accounted for a substantial proportion of initial patient contacts. There was scope to strengthen focus on mental health awareness.
• Regarding media focus, it was noted that targeting larger populations risked missing some individuals, and that universal messages also needed to be appropriately targeted to support preventative work. Reporting should be

in line with the Samaritans guidelines. Regular updates were issued on social media on the support for suicide prevention.

AGREED:

1.     That the presentation be noted.

2.     For a digital version of the leaflet to be published with the minutes of the meeting.

3.     For all service areas to be listed as mental health friendly places with promotion of the 24-hour crisis helpline.

4.     For consideration of the role of pharmacies.