Olly’s Future

It has two aims:

1. to celebrate Oliver’s life through events, awards and creative projects

2. to deliver suicide prevention training, namely ASIST (Applied Suicide Intervention Skills Training) and our own one hour workshops – ‘Pressure of Success’ and ‘I am Sorry for Your Loss’.

Olly’s Future is also working in partnership with MIND and the Sussex Partnership NHS Trust on an 18 month PACEsetter initiative called ‘Practise Hope’, which is funded by Health Education England to improve how GPs help 10 – 25 year olds who self harm or have thoughts of suicide.

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

Olly’s Future believes strongly in equipping people with the skills to help others who are feeling suicidal. We fund people to go on suicide prevention training courses that are delivered by Papyrus or Grassroots, namely ASIST and SAFEtalk. Our funding has enabled all staff at Christ’s Hospital School to receive training as well staff at UCL on an on-going basis (lunchtime sessions).

We are currently developing two one hour workshops aimed at graduates and for those who are bereaved through suicide.

What are your current priorities?

Over the next 18 months, Olly’s Future will be working in partnership with MIND and the Sussex Partnership NHS Trust on a PACEsetter initiative to help GPs improve the way they help 10 – 25 year olds who have thoughts of suicide or self-harm. Ann Feloy has the role of Patients Care Lead and will be working in scoping, devising and overseeing the initiative which involves 30 GP surgeries across the trust’s three counties of Sussex, Kent and Surrey. Our ambition is to bring about a culture change in the way GPs help children and young people.

To win the PACEsetter Award for Suicide Prevention and Self Harm, GP practices must complete five key activities, including an engagement exercise comprising two parts: 1. with at least 1 per cent of their (target) population/carers of people with mental health difficulties and 2. with at least half of their staff  around their own wellbeing.

What challenges are you currently facing?

The success of the project relies heavily on GPs being willing and happy to engage in the initiative and them feeling they have enough support from the three ‘Practise Hope co-ordinators’ who will be employed to work closely with the GPs to deliver the changes at a very practical level.