East London NHS Foundation Trust

East London NHS Foundation Trust (formerly known as East London and The City University Mental Health NHS Trust) was formed in April 2000. The new ELFT brought together mental health services from three community trusts in Tower Hamlets, Newham, The City and Hackney; pooling resources and much of London’s major mental health expertise to become one of the UK’s largest specialist NHS providers. We have been broadening our remit for some time and our core services now include mental health, community health and primary care.
Our core area includes City of London, Hackney, Newham, Tower Hamlets, Bedfordshire and Luton (since April 2015).

How does your organisation contribute to preventing suicide and supporting those affected by it?

Our ambition is to make a positive difference by providing people with mental and community health care services that support their recovery and help them to achieve the most fulfilling lives possible. Everything we do is driven by our values of care, respect and inclusivity.

What are your current priorities?

Our current priorities include developing our approach to suicide prevention in line with the new national suicide prevention strategy, including prevention and response to self-harm, and supporting those bereaved by suicide.    

What challenges are you currently facing?

Despite progress over recent years, the national suicide rate has not fallen since 2018. Nationally, rates of self-harm and suicide have been increasing in young people. The current difficult socioeconomic climate continues to have a significant impact on both society and clinical services.