31st January 2024: NSPA Annual Conference

National Suicide Prevention Conference January 2024: The New Suicide Prevention Strategy and 10 years of the NSPA: Where do we go from here?

About the event

The NSPA’s 10th annual conference took place on 31st January 2024 and marked just over 10 years since the alliance was formed. We invited all those committed to playing their part to reduce suicides, from across the public, private and voluntary sectors, to join us at The Kia Oval as we set out our vision for the NSPA and implementation of the government’s new suicide prevention strategy. 

Bringing the suicide prevention community together to save lives 

The event brought over 300 individuals and organisations with a professional and personal interest in suicide prevention together, to share the latest knowledge and information, explore opportunities for collaboration, engage with people who have lived experience of suicide, and hear first-hand what the government is going to do on this issue.    

The full agenda can be found here and details of the presentations are below.

Presentations

Plenary presentations:

National context: the latest suicide figures and the new 5-year strategy for England: Professor Sir Louis Appleby, Chair, National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group. View the slides

Preventing Suicide (from affecting us): Exclusion Culture in Mental Health Services: Dr Chloe Beale, Consultant Liaison Psychiatrist, Homerton University Hospital, Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, Wolfson Institute, Queen Mary University Hospital. View the slides

Lived Experience Led Suicide Prevention in York: the importance, value and learnings from their campaign work: Emma Williams, Project Coordinator, York Ending Stigma, and Johny, Volunteer Champion, York Ending Stigma. View the slides

Lived experience and suicide prevention – learning from different contexts, nuances, and hopes for the future. Panel discussion: Pete Johnson (Chair), NSPA Lived Experience Influencer; David Breakspear, NSPA Lived Experience Influencer; Steve Gilbert, Organisational Change Consultant; Fiona Malpas, NSPA Lived Experience Influencer; Jess Worner, NSPA Lived Experience Network Manager. No slides, panel discussion.

Family separation, fathers and suicide: Nav Mirza, CEO of Dads Unlimited and Gemma Lawson, Head of Mental Health, Dads Unlimited. View the slides

Workshop presentations:

Morning workshops:

Collaboratively facilitating lived experience learning spaces: Rosie Ellis, Lived Experience Network Officer; Kate James, Lived Experience Influencer, NSPA. View the slides

Suicide Risks in high-risk high-harm perpetrators of Domestic Abuse in England and Wales: a cohort study: Viv Bickham, Practice Advisor, Safelives and Luke Kendall, Practice Advisor, Drive Project, Respect UK. View the slides

Deep dive into the Suicide Prevention Consortium’s April 2023 report: Alcohol and suicide: insights from LGBTQ+ communities’ experiences: Eva Bell, Participation Officer, Samaritans and Holly Wood, Policy Officer, WithYou. View the slides

Surveillance technology for suicide prevention in public spaces; acceptability, ethics and effectiveness: Dr Jay-Marie Mackenzie, Reader, University of Westminster, Professor Lisa Marzano, Professor of Psychology, University of Middlesex, Dr Ian Marsh, Suicide-Safer Lead, Reader and Research Supervisor Canterbury Christchurch University, Mustak Mirza, Penny Phillips and Andy Willis, NSPA Lived Experience Influencers. View the slides

Supporting children and young people: learnings from UK text messaging service: Sarah Kendrick, Clinical Director, Mental Health Innovations. View the slides

Afternoon workshops:

Linking in with others: cross-sector and community based approaches to suicide bereavement support: Michelle Stebbings, Executive Lead, Support After Suicide Partnership and Anne Embury, Suicide Liaison Service Lead, Cornwall Partnership NHS Trust. View the slides

Putting the politics in suicide prevention: Dr Hazel Marzetti, University of Edinburgh and Dr Alex Oaten, University of Lincoln, Suicide in/ as Politics Project

Community Conversations on Suicide Prevention: Philippa Carr, Head of Education and Suicide Prevention, Jami UK
and Seher Kayikci, Senior Public Health Strategist, Barnet Council. View the slides

Caring Safely Together. Suicide prevention is everyone’s business. Let’s talk about support for parents and carers: Catherine Phillips, Project Lead Stepping Back Safely; Sue Willgoss, Advisor for Suicide Prevention with Lived Experience; Deirdre Williams, Associate Chief Psychological Professions Officer; Dr. Jamie Thomas, Principal Psychologist in the Crisis Assessment and Intensive
Support Team, Norfolk & Suffolk NHS Foundation Trust; Douglas Cave, Suicide Prevention Campaigner. View the slides

Working with minoritised ethnic communities: Lourdes Colclough, Head of Suicide Prevention, Rethink Mental Illness; Taylor Morrisson, Health and Wellbeing Project Officer, Watford FC CSE Trust; Richard Tandoh, Expert by Experience, Rethink Mental Illness; Paul Amuzie, Director of Br8kethesilence and Senior Community Organiser at Citizens UK.